Jamie Neutron, Alias Girl-Genius
by For retro mania
Summary: An encounter with the Greek Goddess Hera leaves Jimmy transformed into a girl. How does this change affect him? Read and find out. Fic request by retro mania. Story based on Superboy comic Claire Kent, Alias Super-Sister. Sequel not happening from this author, but others are welcome to continue if they'd like to try.
1. Chapter 1

**The following is a fic request from retro mania based on the old Superboy comic story "Claire Kent, Alias Super-Sister." It was originally published on a different profile but has now been moved here for good.**

* * *

Document taken from the computer of James Isaac Neutron found in folder labeled "Adventures."

Mission Background:

Location: Olympia, Greece

Site: Temple of Hera

1800 hours local time

A strange comet crashed near the temple containing an unknown element.

Composition… Unknown.

Origin… Unknown.

Given Name… Herbolide.

Notification of the comments arrival sent to home lab. Still photos captured of a round substance with halos rotating by local satellite.

Special Note: Image shares an uncanny resemblance to Neutron symbol.

Sender… Unknown.

Reason… Unknown.

Mission Status:

Crew of 5 assembled for this mission each bringing their own special skills to the team.

Crew Members:

Jimmy Neutron

Carl Wheezer

Sheen Estevez

Libby Folfax

Cindy Dorktex

Special Note: Goddard unable to participate due to pending upgrades.

Mission Results:

To be included in next report.

End of Report.

* * *

30 minutes before sunset a hover car was parked at the ruins of the Temple where Carl Wheezer, Sheen Estevez, and Libby Folfax were playing a game with Ultra Lord trading cards.

"Okay Carl, your turn. Pick a card." Sheen said ecstatic.

Carl picked a card from the deck. His eye's lit up thinking he picked a good one. "I got Robo-Fiend-" He said presenting it to his friend.

"Ha!" Sheen quickly snatched as though it were out of instinct rather than fairness. "Ultra Lord always defeats Robo-Fiend! I win!" He shouted excited before bringing his voice back to a gentle tone for his Ultra Queen. "Your turn Libby."

"Yeah, yeah." She was completely disinterested but as his "Ultra Queen" she indulged him nonetheless. Libby picked a card from the top of the deck. "I got a poisoned Nitrogen-"

"Ha!" Sheen snatched the card before Libby even had the chance to finish her sentence. "Ultra Lord loves Nitrogen Bars! It's what makes him awesome!"

"But it's poisoned so wouldn't it kill him?" Libbey asked.

"Ultra Lord can take any poison. Nothing can hurt him!"

"I don't really want to play this game anymore, Sheen." Carl explained. "It looks like you just win every time because you have the Ultra Lord card."

"Jeesh don't be such a sore loser, Carl. If you play more you will-"

Libby interrupted. "I'm out too." Libby laid her back on the ground and groaned. "Ugh, where are Jimmy and Cindy?" She asked rhetorically frustrated.

"Yeah, it's been 5 hours now, huh." Sheen pointed out.

"They're either fighting or having one of those moments where they're nice to each other because we're not around.

Sheen and Libby look at Carl puzzled by what he just said. The first part made sense to them. But that other part…

Libby got up. "I'm going to go look for them."

"I don't know Libby." Carl protested. "Jimmy told us to wait here and it's going to be dark pretty soon and I don't want to get lost out there."

"Ugh" Libby groaned. "Fine, I'll wait 20 minutes but after that I'm looking for them." She sat back down on the ground. "Where could they be. It's not like they could get lost wandering around these ruins."

"Yeah, it's just a stupid room without any doors." Sheen added.

Libby was right: The temple was just a bunch of pillars forming a rectangle. Getting lost was pretty much implausible. But what they didn't know was that there was a secret section below the temple unknown to the general public and Jimmy and Cindy were bickering and wondering around with torches underground looking for a way out.

"I told you we're going in circles, Vortex. It's the same four statues we see every time."

"Well what do you want to do, Nerdtron? Turn back?"

"We should've when I told you too but instead you wanted to look at these useless sculptures."

"Idiot, there's nowhere to turn back. We're walking in circles remember."

"I was talking about when we fell down here through the ground. We should've climbed back up but instead you wanted to look at your dumb soccoress." Jimmy started to walk away from her.

"For your information Hera is a Goddess."

Jimmy brushed it off as he kept walking. "Whatever. It's all hocus pocus."

There wasn't much of interest in the temple. Below it looked more like a tomb. At each of the four corners there was a statue. One was of the Greek Goddess herself. The other three were of animals she considered sacred: a cow, a lion, and a peacock.

Cindy caught up with Jimmy "Well it's more interesting than looking for some dumb rock from space." She retorted.

Annoyed, Jimmy stopped walking."And what's so great about this 'Goddess?'"

They were standing at one of the corners of the underground temple in front of the Lion statue. "She's the Goddess of marriage and women, something your freak brain is incapable of admiring."

"That would imply that there's something worth admiring in girls." He said continuing to sound unimpressed as he was eager to find the way out.

"Well just wait till middle school. You won't be laughing when you can't get a date because no girl likes you."

Jimmy was getting defensive and slightly raised his voice. "Well if the rest are half as stupid as you then I don't want to date anyone."

Cindy is taken aback. "You're just jealous because you can't get a date for the dance Friday."

Jimmy stood back surprised, struggling to recover from Cindy's verbal jab."What? No I'm not. I don't care about that stupid dance. It's a waste of time and girls only make a big deal out of it because all they can do is think about how they look pretty. Their intellect doesn't go beyond that."

"Just because most girls like to feel special for one night doesn't make them stupid." Cindy turned her back to him. "For a genius you really don't know anything."

"I don't need to know anything. The fact is boys are better than girls." He generalized. Neither Jimmy nor Cindy noticed the Lion's eyes of the statue turn a bright yellow.

Cindy was shocked at what she was hearing. She turned back and faced him. "And what proof led to you making such a stupid conclusion?"

"The data's out there. Look at how many geniuses there are in science. Albert Einstein. Isaac Newton. Galileo-"

Cindy interjected. She leaned in closer to his face just to throw the words at him. "Caroline Herschel. Maria Mitchell. Marie Curie."

"You made up those first two."

"No I didn't, freak. If you knew anything about women in the first place you'd know what they did."

"Well what about presidents. We haven't had a female president because girls can't lead a country."

"Um, hello! Queen Elizabeth. She's the leader of an entire country."

"Actually she's the face of the country. Men in parliament make the decisions. Face it Vortex, boys are simply better at everything and girls are inferior."

The statues yellow eyes grew brighter.

"You really think so?"

"Of course. The proof is there. That's why no matter how hard you try you will never be the smartest kid in school because you're a girl. You don't have a chance. We're just better."

"Well if you knew your Greek history you'd know that Tiresias would disagree."

"Who?"

"Tiresias was turned into a woman by Hera for seven years. After she changed him back to a man he said being a woman was better."

"That's a story from mythology Vortex, not history. It doesn't count as proof of anything. And you're just proving my point that girls are less intelligent when you use a made up story that's part of mythology to prove your point. Face it Cindy, Boys are better in every way. That's why we control the world because if girls ruled the world they would ruin everything." Jimmy turned around satisfied with his point as he left Cindy standing there with her blood boiling.

Before Cindy had the chance to shout back at Jimmy a burst of yellow light shot through the Lion statue. It pushed Cindy against the wall. She grunt as she hit it. Still conscious, Cindy looked up to find Jimmy standing in the same spot. Neutron symbol from the comet was floating before them, rotating around the lion. The statue moved as the yellow eyes remain transfixed on Jimmy. All Cindy could do was watch what happened before her. It was difficult to see as the light was so bright it was nearly blinding. But this didn't hurt Jimmy as he stared dead within the eyes. In his head he heard a commanding female voice.

 _You know nothing of womankind. You will learn the error of your ways._

The statement confused Jimmy. The eyes of the Lion widened as Jimmy looked deeper into them unable to look away even if he wanted. The Lion then roared as yellow beams shot out of its mouth hitting Jimmy. Cindy was blinded by the sight of yellow. Neither could see.

Suddenly the supernatural activity stopped. The tomb reverted back to its natural light. It was slightly lighter than usual as Jimmy and Cindy noticed there was a hole in the ceiling. It looked like the same hole they had fallen through earlier.

"You okay, Jimmy?" Cindy said giving him a genuine look of concern.

"What happened?" Jimmy said confused.

"I don't know. Let's just get out of here and go home."

"Agreed."

The two climbed up where they were back at the surface. The rest of the gang was by the hovercar no more than 100 feet away.

"Woah, what happened to you two?" Sheen asked.

"Are you hurt?" Libby added.

"What do you mean?" Cindy asked confused.

"Girl, look at yourself." Libby took a pocket mirror out of her pocket and held it up to show Cindy her reflection. She was slightly covered in some yellow grease.

Cindy took one finger to her forehead to rub it off. "Ew!" She quickly flicked her fingers to the ground.

"Yeah, Jimmy's got it worse." Carl pointed out.

Libby held the mirror up to Jimmy. His face was indeed severely yellow.

"Well I'll just shower it off when I get home." He said like it was no big deal and turned to Cindy. "I don't get scared over yellow goo because I'm a boy which makes me superior."

Sheen, Carl, and Libby all are speechless at Jimmy's awkward comment.

Cindy is shocked at the horrible timing of his joke. "You're seriously going to joke after what happened down there. We might've almost just died. You just had something potentially deadly shot out at you."

"But I'm still alive because I'm a boy. You couldn't even stand against that blast. So that proves my point."

Libby interjected. "Okay, I don't know what's going on here but I don't have a problem with hitting Jimmy if he keeps making rude comments at my best friend."

"Can we just go home. It's almost past my bedtime." Carl said.

"Yeah, I'm bored. Let's get out of here." Sheen added.

"Don't worry Cindy. As a boy I'll safely fly you all back home." Jimmy walked away confidently with a big smile. No one noticed that as he was ahead of the pack his smile changed from a frown.

Cindy's blood began to boil as Jimmy walked it off. She was about ready to give him a piece of her mind when Libby held her back. Libby had a curious look on her face.

"Is it just me or did his head shrink a little?" Libby observed.

Indeed Jimmy's head did seem smaller. Still slightly bigger than normal but clearly it shrunk a little.

"Big shocker there. King Craniums brain cells are finally killing each other off. He's getting dumber by the minute."

Cindy and Libby laugh it off as they follow the rest of the gang onto the hovercar.

* * *

After flying for a while Libby noticed more changes were apparent. Jimmy's head shrunk even more. On top of that his standard hair-do dipped a little. It still maintained it's ice cream shape but it looked like the ice cream was melting in the sun.

Jimmy felt a minor pain in his stomach. He groans out loud as it aches a little more.

"You okay Jimmy?" Libby asked concerned.

"I'm fine." Jimmy waved her off and regained control of the hovercar. "What a waste of a trip that was."

"Yeah, it was pretty boring." Sheen added.

"It wasn't that bad. It was nice seeing part of a different country." Libby added trying to be positive.

"You should've come with me to see Hera's temple." Cindy interjected. "Another woman would've been more fun to have around and would show appreciation."

Jimmy retorted while still in pain. "Oh please, there's nothing to appreciate about Hera."

Cindy turned to Libby "Says the dumb boy who knows nothing about Greek mythology." She whispered.

Jimmy heard her even though she wasn't exactly hiding what she said. "I know the mythology well enough. I can appreciate those stories. But Hera's character is pretty dull in my opinion."

"I don't know how you can say that after what happened back there." Cindy said, both arguing and genuinely concerned.

"What happened? Libbey asked."

Jimmy responded to Cindy. "Oh please, she's just insecure and does nothing but punish people for no reason. It just proves my point that a girl in power would only cause problems."

Suddenly another surge of pain hit Jimmy, this time it was so sharp that he jerked the steering wheel. The hover car spun out of control in the air as the gang struggled to hold on. Jimmy then felt an even sharper pain near his groin and jerked the wheel back. Libby went for the wheel as Jimmy continued to scream. When she did she saw that Jimmy's hair was no longer in it's normal style but that it had instead fallen down to his shoulders. Carl helped Jimmy out of the seat as Libby took control. Jimmy held onto his stomach. He couldn't see as his hair was covering his eyes.

"What happened at the temple?" Libby shouted at Cindy.

Cindy struggled to stay focused. "I don't know. Some light shot into him and then he was fine."

"Well he's clearly not fine. And I'm worried about you, girl. You have some of that stuff on you too."

For a brief second Cindy was horrified as she realized Libby was right. But that changed quickly as she was more worried about Jimmy instead of what might happen to her. Jimmy fell to the ground, yelling even louder. It was ear shattering but it didn't cover the sound of his bones cracking and shifting from the rest of the gangs ears. Jimmy couldn't focus on anything but the pain. He didn't even notice that his screaming was changing to a higher pitch. But the gang sure did notice. And when they saw how long his hair grew, how small his head got (in comparison to before), and how tiny and soft his hand were they realized what was happening. It became too much that once that pain had stopped Jimmy Neutron had fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

Faint sounds of barking was what he first heard. It was mostly dark with some flashes of light slowly enterng through his iris'. His vision was blurred but as he slipped back into conciousness things cleared up a bit more. As his sense of touch returned he felt a wet mechanical tongue swiftly brush across his the blurriness he could make out the rough outlines of Goddard's snout. He knew that was where the barking was coming from.

"Relax boy. I'm fine." He said trying to calm down his most loyal companion. Something felt different. He noticed that his voice was different. It sounded softer, but that didn't bother him right now.

Jimmy sat up seeing blured outlines of his lab. He knew that because he was laying down he could only be resting on a gurney he kept in the corner. Funny he never had a use for it before but now he couldn't complain. All over he was sore yet lighter at the same time. His clothes felt bigger somehow. His pants sagged and his shirt felt baggy.

"Hey, he's awake!" Jimmy heared a voice shouting from the other end of the room. It sounded like Libby. Jimmy could only see hl but he could hear footsteps coming up to him.

"Are you okay Jimmy?" Libby asked concerned.

"Do you feel different?" Carl asked curious.

"Do you still like video games?" Sheen demanded to know.

"What?" Jimmy was still groggy and delirious. He could barely see his friends in front of him but he knew they were there. He could even identify Cindy quietly laughing but wasn't sure why.

"Do you know who you are?" Libby asked.

"Of course. I'm Jimmy." Jimmy said.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Libby asked.

Jimmy tried to think back. He was still groggily moving his head around. A strange brushing sensation moved around his neck and back as he did. "I remember taking us back home. Then I had this really bad stomach ache and that's it. Are we back at the lab?"

"Libby had to fly the car because you… well, um… fainted." Carl felt nervous as he explained. Cindy laughed at the mention of that last word.

"I can't see anything. Does my voice sound different to you guys?"

Cindy tried to contain her laughter but Jimmy could hear it clearly. Suddenly Jimmy felt a slight tug from his scalp. It didn't hurt. Then the veil was lifted from before his eyes as Libby's hand brought his hair to the the back of his head. Finally things were clear. In front of him were the four people he knew were there. They were all standing with their school backpacks on. Carl and Libby seemed to be the ones that were the most shocked. Sheen for some reason seemed excited. Cindy couldn't hold in her delight. Her expression was one Jimmy would typically only see when she was proven to be right instead of him. He wasn't at all sure of what was going on.

The looks on their faces worried him "What is it? I'm not a hamster again am I?"

"Well… Not a hamster, no." Carl pointed out.

"My molecules haven't turned me into a blob again have they?"

"No, this is so cooler than that!" Sheen said ecstatic.

Libby hit him in the elbow. "Shut up Sheen."

"Well Sheen, it's not the first time Jimmy's been a…" Carl snickered a bit. "Well, you know."

"That was different. He was someone else." Sheen explained. "But this." Sheen extended out his arms in Jimmy's direction. "Have you ever seen anyone look so beautiful!?… Except for you of course, my Ultra Queen." Sheen quickly backtracked to return in Libby's good graces.

Libby ignored Sheen and turned back to Jimmy. "Now don't freak out. You really don't look bad. It's just...

Jimmy was now freaking out. "Well what is it? What do I-"

Cindy interrupted with a loud burst of laughter. "I'm sorry, I couldn't keep it in anymore. This is just too rich."

Jimmy was scared. "What happened to me?"

Libby put her hands on his shoulders for comfort. "Look, it's not bad." She eyed him up and down. "It really isn't." She said almost complementing him.

"Tell me what's going on. Why is my voice different." He reached for the back of his head. "Why is my hair longer." Jimmy stood up from the gurney. "Why are my clothes suddenly to big-" He stopped talked as he pointed out that last detail. Standing on his two feet he realized just how different everything felt. His center gravity felt off. He looked down at his body. His cloths were sagging. His hair fell back in front of his eyes. He quickly brushed it off to the side with his hands. They looked different. Much softer than before. He looked at them and noticed they looked more delicate than before. He suddenly became very aware of the rest of his body. The bone structure of his face felt different. Even his teeth were arranged differently. He added up all these details in his head: the long hair, the voice, the hands. He suddenly realized what they all meant. Jimmy quickly put a hand over his groin to be sure. He couldn't find what he was looking for but his questions were instantly answered. "Oh no!" He reached down with his other hand and explored to double check he wasn't missing anything. Then he felt a strange sensation as his right arm brushed up against his chest. He knew exactly what it was but he couldn't believe it. He just had to see for himself. His hand went up to the neckline of his shirt. He looked down and sure enough he saw what he expected to be there. "Mammaries."

Cindy burst into more laughter.

Sheen was confused. "Marmalade?"

"No, mammaries." Libby corrected.

"What's that?" Sheen asked.

"It's what girls have. You know…" Libby gestured up to her chest.

Sheen's eyes lit up at the realization of what she meant. "OH!… Wow, good job Jimmy. These two haven't even started puberty yet."

Libby punched Sheen in the elbow.

"OW! What's the big deal."

Jimmy continued to freak out. "No… no, no, no. This can't be happening."

Cindy continued laughing. "That's what you get Neutron. You shouldn't have mocked a Godess. Now you're a girl forever." She fell to the floor and kept laughing so hard.

Jimmy began to tense up. "Shut up Vortex. Gods don't exist. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical scientific explanation for this."

Cindy laughed even harder. "Oh… Sure." She calmed down a bit and got back up. "Maybe you were always a girl on the inside, Neutron. All that anger towards women was because you were upset that you weren't one. But then your brain chemistry finally made your true feelings click with the rest of your body." Cindy fell back to the floor and couldn't stop laughing.

"Vortex if you don't stop I swear I'll invent something that'll turn you into a pig and leave you at a farm for the rest of your life."

Libby laid a hand on Jimmy. "Just relax. You'll figure this out. You always do." She turns back to Carl and Sheen. "Right guys?"

Carl looks down nervous. The sight of an attractive girl always made him feel uncomfortable, Cindy and Libby being exceptions to that rule.

Sheen had something else on his mind. "So Jimmy, since you and Carl were best friends does that mean you can now be his girlfriend. I'm tired of hearing how jealous he is of my Ultra Queen."

"Shut up, I am not."

"Are too."

"Am Not."

"Are too."

Libby sighed "Ugh, boys."

Jimmy's thoughts immediately sided with Libby for that brief second. He then snapped out of it and realized what he was thinking. In front of him Carl & Sheen kept arguing as Cindy kept laughing. "Oh, how cute. Two boys fighting over pretty little Jamie Neutron." Her laughter just kept growing and growing. For Cindy this had to have been the most satisfying victory she had ever had over Neutron.

For Jimmy it was frightening. If having a different body wasn't scary enough, hearing his rival taunt him and his own friends accept him so easily as a girl was freaking out that big brain of his.

"Enough!" Jimmy shouted at the top of his new lungs. Everyone stopped instantly as the sound of Jimmy's new voice took on a serious tone. "Look, this is just temporary. I'll work on a solution tonight and change back before school starts."

"Um… Jimmy." Carl pointed to his backpack that he was currently wearing. Jimmy realized that they all were wearing theirs.

"School starts in an hour." Libby pointed to the clock against the wall.

"Yeah, you've been asleep all night." Sheen broke the news.

Cindy went right back to laughing. This angered Jimmy.

Before he had another outburst Libby was the first to talk. "Cindy stayed down here all night making sure you were okay."

He looked at Vortex furious. This wasn't comforting to hear. Newton knows what she might've done to him, possibly worsen his condition. "You were in my lab without my presence?"

"Um, hello. You were down here. I was watching over you."

"Yeah, but I wasn't conscious."

"Relax Jamie." Cindy said laughing at the mention. It clearly upset Jimmy to be considered a girl. Cindy relished in her victory. "I didn't touch anything. But I bring some clothes that I thought would look good on you. Here." Cindy handed him a white blouse, a dark blue skirt, and a pink athletic zip up hoodie. "I even have a training bra at home for you since you are a pubescent girl now. You need it more than I do."

Jimmy cringed at the idea. He wouldn't ever be caught dead wearing a bra, much less a skirt. "Um… you know what guys, I'll tell my parents what happened and they'll tell the school office I'm sick while I work on fixing myself. I'll see you guys later."

Jimmy ran out of the lab fast, not even thinking that he was leaving his friends in there alone without his surpervision. He ran through the steel doors to get back to the surface.

"Man, I don't care if it's weird but Jimmy is hot." Sheen said dreamily.

"Yeah." Carl modestly agreed.

Cindy looked at the boys with disgust. She turned to Libby for affirmation but Libby looked back at them like it was no big deal. Cindy fired a look at Libby. "You're kidding, Libs."

"Not really." Libby replied. "You have to admit he actually looks really pretty. Even with those boy clothes on."

Cindy thought about it for a second and then eventually nodded.

* * *

Inside the Neutron household Judy was in the kitchen cooking breakfast for her boys. "Hugh! Jimmy! Your pancakes are ready!"

Through the backdoor Jimmy entered the kitchen. Judy saw the most unusual thing: a girl she had never met before had entered her house. Even though this was an uninvited stranger the girl seemed scared to her. What was especially curious what why she was wearing Jimmy's clothes. "Um… Hello. Can is there something I can help you with miss?"

Jimmy raised his arms up to diffuse the situation. "Don't freak out, mom. It's me. Jimmy."

Judy reacted a little surprised. "Oh." Of course the girl neither looked nor sounded anything like Jimmy. However with a quick thought she was hardly surprised that this could happen to her son. After all he had done all sorts of things to himself and his friends. He put his head on a hamster, turned Carl into a vampire & Sheen into a werewolf. He had even turned his teacher into a giant green monster. The thought that Jimmy might turn himself into a girl had actually crossed Judy's mind before. With all the crazy experiments he was working on she always thought ahead of what he might do next. It was necessary for her to keep her sanity with all the unusual things Jimmy brought about in the lives of everyone around him.

Hugh entered the room. "Well sugarbooger, I did it. No more wasting water. The sprinklers should go off once in the morning, Now my lawn can be the best on the street again." Hugh walked over to the table casually noticing Jimmy. "Hey, who's the girl wearing Jimmy's clothes, hon?" He asked while taking his usual seat at the table."

"That's your son, dear." Judy answered with her typical smile as she waited for Hugh to put two and two together.

"Oh, well that's just nice, isn't it. Our son Jimmy is getting out there discovering his options." He took a drink of his orange juice. Judy walked up holding an empty bowl, smiling as she waited. Sure enough Hugh realized what was going on and spat the juice out. Judy put the bowl in front of his face before she'd have to clean up the mess all over the table. As she walked over to the sink to empty out the bowl, Hugh began to babble incoherently. "Heh-wut-howdoya… What?"

"It's just an accident dad." Jimmy tried to explain. The sound of his new voice clearly confused his father. "Look, I can fix this. I just need some time in the lab to turn myself back to normal."

"Whu…" Hugh changed his expression from confused to concerend serious dad. "Now how did you manage to do this to yourself, Jimbo?"

Jimmy froze in place not knowing what to say. The entire reason was ridiculous but there was no other story he could tell them. As he prepared to tell them, Cindy had walked past the back door as she left the lab. She saw that Jimmy was explaining everything to his parents and just stood back to watch. Jimmy looked down in shame as he vaguely explained everything. "Well, we were in Greece on an adventure and while we were in a temple I sort of angered a Goddess. She turned me into a girl to learn the error of my ways." Jimmy looked back up quickly trying to move away from the issue. "But I can change myself back. I have files on my original DNA. I just need to program all that so I can switch back. It should only take about 18 hours which means I have to get started right away. Obviously I'd need you to say I'm sick since I obviously won't have time to go to school today. There's also the issue that my-"

Judy interrupted. "Now stop it right there, missy." Jimmy immediately stopped. His mother's voice took on a tone he knew he couldn't argue with. "You can fix yourself in your own time but if a Greek Goddess is punishing you by turning you into a girl then you're going to have to live with your mistake until you learn your lesson."

"But mooooom." Jimmy whined.

Judy put her foot down. "No buts, young lady." The words pierced through Jimmy's psyche. He wasn't aware of Cindy's presence outside as she snickered watching what was happening. "Every time you've been in trouble you've always found a way to invent yourself out of punishment. But now you will have to live with it for today and afterwards you can do whatever you'd like to yourself. Whatever lesson you have to learn I'm sure you can do it at school. Besides I've always wanted a daughter as well as a son. Mmm." Judy looked at Jimmy's appearance. His hair was all over the place and his clothes were in no way fitting for a girl to go to school. "You can't go in Jimmy's clothes so I'll go shopping for you!" Judy said with excitement.

Jimmy just stood there. He couldn't believe it. Here he had expected his parents to support him through this traumatic experience, yet his mother was actively pushing it. He turned to Hugh. "Dad?" He whined back.

"Now son, your mother's right. You shouldn't go around upsetting ancient Goddesses. This is your punishment. Your going to have to take it like a man." Hugh patted Jimmy on the shoulder. He then leaned in closer to quietly speak into Jimmy's ear. "By the way since you're my daughter now you should call me 'daddy' around the house."

After having a good laugh at everything she witnessed, Cindy entered the kitchen through the back door. "Hey Jamie." Cindy greeted in a kind sarcasm. She took pleasure in the pain Neutron felt. She opened her backpack and took out the clothes she had brought earlier. "You forgot the clothes I brought for you earlier." Cindy pushed them into Jimmy's hands. He took hold of them before he had a chance to avoid it. It was all there: the blouse, the skirt, the hoodie, and the horrifying training bra. Jimmy was screaming in his head. _This isn't happening._

"Jamie?" Judy said to herself hearing the name for the first time. "I like that name." She then looked back at the kids. "Well that's wonderful. Thank you, Cindy. I still need to buy her more clothes at the mall but this'll do for today."

"Oh your welcome Mrs. Neutron. Anything I can do to make Jamie's first day of school as pleasant as possible." Jimmy looked back at Cindy with a furious stare. Cindy knew how furious the once boy genius was but she didn't care. Jimmy Neutron was now a girl and there was nothing he could do to change that… At least for now.

Cindy began to mosey her way out the door. "Well I have to go catch the bus. I'll see you later in school Jamie." Cindy ran out the door extremely happy.

Judy put an arm around her daughter's back. "Now come on, Jamie. We need to get you cleaned up and ready for school. I'll help you wash up and do your hair. You shouldn't have any trouble putting on these clothes."

Jimmy looked at the clothes in his arms. The sight of them made him furious. "Mom, I'm not going to school! There is no way I'm going to be wearing a skirt!"

Judy stood up tall, not about to take the defiance of her daughter. "Don't you dare talk to your mother like that, young lady. I can go to the mall and buy you only dresses if you want. You may be able to change yourself back to normal, but while you are stuck as a girl you will at the very least dress like one. Understood?"

This was insane. It was humiliating. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. He couldn't even believe a Goddess had done this to him. As a man of science it went against everything he believed. For some reason he felt a strange urge to cry right then. But he wouldn't allow himself to. He had to be strong. He had to believe that science would be able to win out against magic or he'd be stuck this way forever. The thought terrified him.

"Understood?" Judy asked again.

Jamie looked down to the ground defeated. She was truly helpless and had no choice but to accept the punishment. It was no doubt her fault, but even then this seemed quite extreme. "Yes mother." Jamie responded politely.

"Good girl." Judy put a hand on her daughter's back and guided her out the room. "Now go upstairs and run the bath in my bedroom. I'll help you get cleaned up and ready for school."

Jamie sighed a deep breathe as she continued walking out the room. The last thing she wanted to do right now was see herself naked for the first time. Every step she took on her way upstairs was a terrible reminder of every change her body had gone through. But she had to stay strong and remind herself that this was only temporary. She knew that somehow she could find a way to get through this. At least, she hoped she would find a way to get through this.


	3. Chapter 3

She sat in the tub with her eyes closed trying her best not to think about it. But every time her mother washed a part of her new body it was a painful reminder of her current situation. Afterwords her mother helped her get dressed in her new clothing. It was awful. Nothing felt right. The undergarments were the most painful to put on. After that it wasn't so bad. The blouse and hoodie felt comfortable, but that was only because it was better than being naked in the tub. Wearing the skirt made her feel exposed. She wouldn't dare look herself in the mirror as her mother tied up her hair in a pony tail. She didn't need help brushing her teeth and managed to do quite well on her own. For a short second she was tempted to look in the mirror to make sure her face was clean, but she quickly grabbed a rag to wipe around her face so she wouldn't have to. It was odd that it bothered her so much.

On the way to school Jamie sat with her legs crossed in the car. Since no one knew who she really was she was determined to look normal. She figured she could at least trust her friends to not blab about her situation to the entire school. Aside from Cindy's giggling the day shouldn't be so bad. All she had to do was go to school, act normal and change herself back that night. She shouldn't have had any worries but for some reason it was still bothering her that she hadn't checked in the mirror to see if her face was still clean. Why was she so worried about how her face looked.

They arrived at the front office a little early so Jamie wouldn't be late for class. Judy had explained that Jamie was Jimmy's cousin and that they were both temporarily switching homes. She apologized for not alerting the school beforehand and explained that this decision was rather sudden. The school receptionist was clearly a bit mad, but of course children had to be in school so they made the necessary changes. Since it was a simple change of kids from different schools it made it easier for Jamie to take Jimmy's place in class. This just made it worse. The last person she wanted to sit next to was Cindy Vortex.

When the bell rang Judy gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek and let her go off to class. Jamie, clearly embarrassed, didn't say anything in return. Judy couldn't blame her though. She knew things weren't easy for the poor little girl.

As she walked down the hallway everything felt completely different. It wasn't just that she was different, but everyone looked at her differently. For some reason she noticed the girls had been paying closer attention to her than the boys. Some boys were clearly looking at her but when she made eye contact they would immediately look away. On the other hand the girls were clearly looking at her in detail, some even whispering amongst their own little circles. She saw Libby, Britney, and Cindy looking at her. Brittney was kind of smiling as she whispered something to Libby. Cindy held her hand over her mouth still containing her laughter. Jamie knew the girls were talking about her but she couldn't tell if she was being judged or complimented. As she passed by she also saw Betty Quinlan flirting with Nick. She instinctually was disgusted by the sight of it, but strangely it was for reasons she couldn't understand. She seemed more critical of Betty than Nick. It then dawned on her Betty was not catching her attention the way she used to. "I have to change back fast" she thought.

The receptionist had already notified Ms. Fowl of the switch so all Jamie had to do was take Jimmy's usual seat. As she moved towards it she realized for the sake of keeping appearance she should ask Mr. Fowl where it was. After all it would appear a little odd if she knew where to sit right away. As she approached Ms. Fowl's desk she felt incredibly nervous. A foreign shyness entered her new mind, something that seemed completely irrational yet for some reason it was there and it was affecting her approach.

Ms. Fowl sat at her desk looking through the role sheet when she noticed this cute little brunette-haired girl approaching her desk. She was told Jimmy's cousin would be coming and recognized the resemblance. "Well, you must be Jimmy's cousin." Ms. Fowl spoke in a friendly manner.

Jamie had known Ms. Fowl for years. She had known all of her "weird old lady" mannerisms but familiar feelings were returning. Right now she felt just as weirded out by her as Jimmy did on his first day of school. "Yes." Jamie responded politely. "My name is Jamie." She introduced herself kindly. The sound of her own voice made her want to throw up.

Ms. Fowl smiled. "Well Jamie my name is Ms. Fowl and I'll be your teacher till you move back home. I don't know where you are in your class but the office (BWAK)… the office told me you were a genius like your cousin so you shouldn't have any trouble catching up."

She cringed a little the moment Ms. Fowl BWAKed. She didn't know why. She had been used to it before but now listening to it seemed... more ugly? Her ears took it in a different tone than she had ever heard before. "I'm sure you're right. I'll catch up as best as I can."

"I'm sure you will, BWAK."

Jamie cringed again. "How can it sound worse?" she thought in her head.

Suddenly the final bell rang and class was set to begin. Jamie was about to turn around to take her seat when she remembered the reason she went to talk to Ms. Fowl in the first place. "Ms. Fowl, where do I sit?" She asked.

Ms. Fowl pointed to her desk. "Oh in Jimmy's seat, dear. Right there in the front."

"Thank you." She said politely. She hated being called "dear" but for some reason a part of her head reacted to it positively. So much so in fact that her "Thank You" was genuinely polite.

Jamie was happily going to her desk when all of the sudden…

"BWAK, wait a minute dear." Jamie cringed at the sound as she froze in place. "I'd like to introduce you to the class first."

"Oh no!" She freaked out in her head. The last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to herself. But as quickly as Mr. Fowl told her to wait she had gotten up and begun class.

"Class, this morning we have a new student joining us, BWWWWAAAARRRRKK."

"Goodness." Jamie thought to herself. "Has Ms. Fowl always been this unbearable?"

Ms. Fowl continued after going back to her original posture. "I'd like to introduce Jimmy's cousin, Jamie Neutron." Jamie waved awkwardly to the rest of the students. Though the class had seen her outside the hallway they all begun whispering among one another when they heard this new girl was a Neutron. "Jimmy went to another school for a while so in the meantime Jamie will be here taking his place." Jamie could see Cindy's smile growing. Ms. Fowl turned to the new girl genius. "Why don't you introduce yourself to the class, Jamie." Ms. Fowl laid a hand on Jamie's shoulder and gave her a friendly push forward as she went to her desk.

Everyone had stopped talking amongst themselves as they all waited to see what this new girl was going to say. The attention Jamie was receiving was strange to her. When she first moved to Retroville as a boy no one had been as interested in him then as they were to her now. The stares she was getting from the boys made her feel uncomfortable, Nick in particular. For some reason she couldn't help but be taken in by his swagger. She had to look elsewhere before she made a fool out of herself in front of the entire class. She looked over to Cindy who kept her hand over her mouth laughing. Instead of making her angry it made her feel more embarrassed. She looked to Carl and Sheen but they immediately looked away from her. It was too weird.

"Well." Ms. Fowl awaited to hear Jamie's introduction.

Right then she had no choice but to look down towards the foot of her desk so she wouldn't be distracted. "Um… My name's Jamie and you all know my cousin Jimmy." She said in a nervous, bubbly manner that suddenly felt natural to her. "We both decided to switch houses for a while so I won't be here long." Right then Jamie heard a snort coming from the front of the room. It was Cindy who was struggling not to laugh. Rather than be mad about this like she would have as a boy she felt hurt.

Tired of being the center of attention, Jamie began walking to her seat.

"Just a minute." Ms. Fowl stopped her. Jamie felt an uneasy mix of sadness and discomfort begin to surge from her. She could hear snorting laughs even louder. Right now she wanted nothing more than to be invisible. "Now tell us something about yourself Jamie."

She looked out at the class as all eyes were still on her. If she didn't just sit down soon she knew she would make a scene. "Something about myself?" She said unsure of what Ms. Fowl wanted.

"Well, uh… Like what would you like to be when you grow up?" Ms. Fowl asked. "A Teacher? A Dancer? You look like the kind of girl that would make a good ballerina."

Cindy just about lost it. Fortunately for Cindy some of the other girls in class reacted to that comment amongst themselves. Jamie couldn't hear what they were saying but they did sound positive. Unfortunately it made her feel absolutely ashamed. Cindy's laughing got under her skin more and more that she couldn't take it any more. The moment she felt her eyes begin to water up she began walking towards the door. "Excuse me." She said trying to sound normal, but the last thing everyone saw her do was wipe her eyes with her arm on her way out.

Jamie ran down the hallway confused and crying. She had no idea why she reacted the way she did. After all it wasn't a difficult question. All she had to do was say one thing. Everyone would forget about this once she changed back and things were back to normal. But her feelings were completely strange to her now. She felt even more embarrassed as she ran down the hallway. It wasn't just because people saw her crying, but she felt absolutely girly running in a skirt just like girls do. It was so humiliating she wanted to die.

The door for the boys room was just ahead. She ran past the girls room as she made her way towards it. Suddenly a boy walked out of the bathroom just before she could open the door. The boy looked at her strangely since she was crying. She immediately realized what she was doing and turned around into the girls room.

Once inside she saw that there were many open stalls in the bathroom. For a second she was amazed. She had never seen so many toilet stalls in the bathroom before. At most there would be 2, 3 tops. But then she remembered why and it was another crushing blow to remind her of what she now was. She was glad that she was alone in there and ran down to the stall at the end, locking herself in. When she was sure the door was locked she sat down and leaned against the wall. For a second she was surprised at how clean the bathroom was compared to the boys room. It was clean enough that she felt comfortable being on the floor in the fetal position.

On the floor she just kept crying. She was so scared. So alone. Her best friends couldn't even look at her because they were too shy to talk to girls. Everything felt wrong. She knew all she had to do was give a fake answer to Ms. Fowl's question and everything would have been fine, but for some reason her new emotions drove her out of control. She was so embarrassed. What was worse now was that Ms. Fowl's question didn't really bother her. Especially her ballerina comment and how the girls responded. She felt glad that her teacher thought she was pretty enough to do that. But that thought crossed with how frightening her new situation was. There was no way she could handle being a girl. She had to change back before something else happened.

Suddenly Jamie heard the door creak open a bit. She kept her crying down to a minimum as best she could.

"Hello." A familiar voice went around the room. "Neutron, you in here?"

"Go away." She began crying again. The last thing she needed was to hear her taunting right now.

"Oh, what's the matter?" Cindy said mockingly. "You don't like being a girl? You don't enjoy being like the rest of us lowly, stupid, brainless females?"

"Just leave me alone, Cindy." Jamie begged as she kept crying. She could hear footsteps approaching closer . She looked under the stall door as a familiar pair of light green and pink sneakers made their way towards her.

"Okay, that was a little mean. I'm sorry." Cindy apologized sounding somewhat genuine. "Now can you come out so we can go back to class?"

"It's too late. Go by yourself and leave me alone."

"Well… there's a bit of a problem there. You see Ms. Fowl sent me to find you and bring you back to class so…" Cindy got down on the ground in front of the stall door and sat with her legs crossed. "…I can't really go back unless you come with me."

"Well I'm not going back. I hate this. I hate being a girl. I just want to go to my lab and fix this." Jamie said still sobbing.

"It can't be that bad. You weren't a wreck like this when you had to live in my body."

"That was different."

"How? Because you weren't the only one suffering?"

"No. Because I knew where my body was even though I wasn't in it. And that was because of science, not magic. But this is supposed to be my body. This is supposed to be me. My mom is already acting like Jimmy doesn't exist and everyone else is looking at me like the pretty new girl. I hate it. I'm even starting to think like one. It's like Jimmy never existed."

"Yeah, Jimmy never cried as much as you are now." Cindy joked. She meant for it to be humourous but it absolutely didn't help. It was beginning to not seem funny to her anymore. She felt bad for her rival. "Look Neutron, it's not like being a girl is such a horrible thing to be. Half of us are doing it every day. Besides you're still human."

"I don't care. I hate feeling this way. I hate that I can't stop crying."

"Well you have a girl's mind now and I guess that comes with the emotions and all. I'm not even going to point out how stupid it was of you to insult a Goddess in the first place. But really it's not the worst thing to be. Who knows, while you're stuck this way you might even have some fun."

"Yeah right."

"Look, you're going to be okay no matter what happens. You're still a genius, apparently, and you still have the gang. It's not like we won't try to help."

"Why should I believe you? You've been laughing at me this whole time."

Cindy tried to deliver an honest answer but started laughing again. "Well, yeah but you have to admit seeing you as a girl is just too funny." Cindy kept laughing but she could still hear Jamie crying. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Look Jimmy, why don't we get out of here and go somewhere kind of fun."

Suddenly Jamie stopped crying. Hearing someone call her by her real name made her feel less lonely. It wasn't said in a mocking tone either, but rather was one of the rare times she used his first name and was genuinely being nice. Because of this Jamie's curiosity went up to Cindy's offer. "Like what?"

"That's a surprise. You'll have to wait."

"Are you trying to get me in trouble?"

"I'm trying to be nice. Be grateful for once. It's not easy to not insult you, you know."

"We can't leave school, stupid. We'll both be in trouble."

"You're the new girl that just ran out of class crying. Don't worry. I can easily sweet talk the receptionist into signing us out for the day. Come on, what do you say?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Why'd you bring me here." Jamie said embarrassed.

"I told you. We're going to have a little fun."

"Retroville is fun. This is girly."

"And that's what you are now. Don't be such a baby."

"You're just try to humiliate me, Vortex."

"I'm just trying to help make you feel better."

"Trying on girl clothes at the mall isn't my idea of fun."

"Well you know what, you were the one that decided to say cruel things about girls in a hidden Greek temple and look at where that got you, Neutron."

"I should go back to the lab and fix this."

"So go, I won't stop you." Cindy said upset. She gave Jamie the could shoulder and waited for her to walk away. After a few seconds she looked behind her to find that Jamie was still standing there. "Well?"

It was true. Jamie could go if she wanted to. She absolutely wanted to fix this. But her mind was working against her. She looked around at the clothes, the shirts, pants, skirts, bathing suits. All of it. She felt funny and didn't understand why.

"What's wrong with you?" Cindy asked confused.

"I don't know. I'm just thinking differently."

"The switch affected your brain, huh?"

"I don't get it, Cindy. I'm still me but I'm not the same."

"Can I tell you secret?" The way Cindy presented it sounded different to Jamie. It was strange to hear Cindy about to confide something personal. She wondered if this was like how conversations were between her and Libby. "When I was in your body I absolutely wanted to get back to mine. But I also felt kind of lucky when it happened."

"What?" Jamie asked confused.

Cindy was embarrassed. "Well, how many people get the chance to feel what it's like to be… you know. I wouldn't do it again but I did have fun finding out what it was like to pee standing up."

"You saw me naked?!" Jamie raised her voice seriously.

"Well… yeah. Did you think I wore the same clothes the whole time."

"And you touched my…" Jamie pointed down for Cindy to get the hint.

"Yeah."

"Ew." Jamie reacted disgusted.

"Yeah, it was gross." She said disgusted but then started laughing. "But aiming it was kind of fun." Cindy laughed.

"Vortex!"

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't pass up on finding out what it was like. Didn't you feel the same?"

"No. I wanted to get us back to normal, not play with your hair."

"Oh." She said embarrassed after sharing that personal detail. "Anyway the reason I'm telling you is that you have an amazing opportunity, Neutron. You and Tieresias get to know what it's like on the other side. I had the same thing, kind of. It was mostly knowing what it was like being a different person."

Jamie crossed her arms and shifted in a feminine pose without noticing. "I don't see how I should feel better about that. Tieresias was being punished, just like me."

"Well you're a scientist, Jimmy. Aren't you supposed to try to explore and learn things about the universe. Use it to your advantage." Cindy's sincerity shifted to stubbornness as she crossed her arms as well. "If you learn more about what it's like to be a girl you might have a better appreciation of women."

As much as she tried to avoid it there was a part of Jamie's brain that wanted to try on some new clothes. It frightened her that there was now a part of her that she didn't understand. But Cindy had a point. As a scientist she was being granted a unique opportunity. As long as she was able to change herself back, maybe trying to live life as a girl would be worth it to learn something.

"What should I try first?" Jamie asked.

Cindy released her arms and smiled. She then looked around at what to try first. Her eyes then landed on a beautiful blue dress that was just Jamie's size. "That." She pointed a finger at it.

Jamie looked at the dress shocked. "A dress? You want me to try a dress?"

Cindy grabbed her hand. "Come on." She ran dragging Jamie down the aisle.

* * *

"Hold still." Cindy struggled zipping the dress.

Jamie sat uncomfortably, holding onto her ponytail. "Owe. Not to tight."

"It's a zipper. I have to the bring it up. Just hold still."

"Can't I go a size down?"

"Trust me. It'll fit perfect if you just don't move."

After a bit oh a struggle Cindy managed to pull it all the way up. The sensation made Jamie yelp a little bit. "Phew." Cindy was a little out of breathe. "Well that's done."

Jamie let go of her ponytail and stood up for the first time with the dress on. It did feel a little tight, but in a way that it was comfortable. The fabric… amazing. It was like nothing she had ever felt. He hand went towards her chest and slightly rubbed against the dress. This was amazing. A combination of the fabric and her now soft skin was something she never would've known as a boy. Already Cindy was right. She was learning something new.

"How does it feel?" Cindy asked.

Jamie was taken out of her trance and back into the fitting room. Slowly she turned around to face Cindy. Once she was fully facing her she saw Cindy's eyes widen. "Oh my God." She quietly said with enthusiasm. Cindy almost smiled and laughed, but concealed it right away by bringing her hand over her mouth.

"What?" Jamie said scared for a reason that she was not aware of.

"Oh my God." Cindy quietly squealed.

Jamie was worried. "Is it bad?"

Cindy looked around the room for a mirror. She then realized she had been standing in front of it, blocking Jamie's view. Immediately Cindy went behind Jimmy and brought her forward to face the mirror.

Jamie had never seen her reflection until now. She had managed to avoid seeing what she looked like all day. In the mirror she was looking for Jimmy. That's the reflection she instinctively looked to see every time she would look in the mirror. But of course it wasn't there. She was Jamie now. She recognized Cindy Vortex in her green top and khaki pants. But this brunette in the blue dress was new to her. She had beautiful blue eyes that complimented the dress exquisitely. Her face was very kind on the eyes. She wondered what this girl's smile was like. But of course the realization hit her like a freight train that this girl standing in front of her, whom she had never seen before, was who she was now. A shocked expression on her face was returned by her reflection. She was completely transfixed by her own beauty.

Cindy sat back marveling at the reaction. Although it wasn't for reasons where she would torment Neutron (although she had this moment as weapon for when he changed back… if he ever did). No, this was genuine awe and love for a friend. "What do you think?"

Jamie's eyes went back down to the dress. Seeing it on her made an impression that her mind reacted to positively but her brain had trouble processing the emotion.

But something seemed off to Cindy. She looked at Jamie up and down to figure it out until she spotted it. "Oh." Cindy stepped forward behind Jamie. "Here, let me get this. " She grabbed her friends ponytail and carefully took the band out.

Jamie had lowered her head as she did so. Once Cindy let go she could feel her forehead loosening up. She wasn't aware of how tight her scalp was before now. Strands fell down to the sides, brushing up against her ears, face, and shoulders. The sensation was incredible. "Let me get that." Cindy took some hair and brushed it off to the side in order to straighten it out. "There." Cindy took a step back.

Jamie brought her head back up. She took a deep breathe, completely surprised as she took a step. It was shocking, but impossible to look away from. This creature that stood in front of her was even more beautiful that before. She slowly took a step forward to the mirror. The reflection did the same. In the back of her mind she knew that this reflection was her, but she had to be sure. A part of her couldn't believe it. It wasn't because of the transformation, but more because she never thought it was possible to look this way. She brought a hand up to the glass and slowly reached out to touch. When the hand came in contact she quickly gasped. Cindy did as well, unsure of the reaction that was about to come.

Jamie just stood there. Wiping her hand along the glass expecting some kind of physical contact. But it never happened. This was her. This beautiful girl in the blue dress really was her. It was true. In her head it was now true. A euphoric feeling began flooding in as she brought her hands over her mouth and jumped squeeling. It was an exciting, incredible feeling knowing that she was beautiful. "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" She squealed nearly crying with no shame at all. It was a completely feminine reaction and she embraced it without hesitation.

Cindy put her hands over Jamie's shoulders. "It's beautiful!" She said just as enthusiastic.

"I know!." Jamie agreed nearly crying.

"It needs something else." Cindy added.

Jamie turned to face Cindy, wanting to find out desperately. "What?"

Cindy caught on to how quick the reaction was and laughed to herself. She then grabbed Jamie's arm. "Come with me." She pulled it as they ran out of the fitting room.

They ran around the store until Cindy found exactly what she was looking for. "Here they are." She grabbed a hold of a pair of white ladies gloves, the most expensive brand she could find.

Jamie grabbed the gloves right away, eager to put them on. Without any guidance from Cindy she was careful not to wrinkle them while slipping them on. "How do they look?" Jamie looked up to Cindy impatiently waiting for an answer.

Cindy turned Jamie around to a full body mirror that was just behind her. She fell in love with the reflection. It was just what she needed to add. But then Jamie started thinking about it on her own. She knew there was more that could go with it. Her hands went to her neck. "I need a necklace."

"We can look at the jewelry store after."

"And earrings. I need a pair of earrings."

Reality set back in as Cindy reacted cautiously. "Um… Are you sure you want to get your ears pierced, Neutron."

Neutron? The way she said it. Reality came back to Jamie, remembering that her present situation was one she wanted to be temporary. The thought of getting her ears pierced now seemed painful and unpleasant. That thought led to even more confusion. She looked back at herself. She still had the same feelings over the dress that she had before. It felt great. But was it healthy to keep it on for this long? She had to take it off. She didn't want to but she knew she should before she got comfortable.

"Jamie?" A voice came from behind her. Jamie recognized it. She quickly turned around to find it was her mother. Panic took over. Yet it wasn't at all from what she would've expected.

"Oh my." Judy looked at her daughter in awe. It truly did justice to her eyes. She was completely awestruck. But then she thought back at what she was seeing. Two children who weren't in class. Both girls looked guilty. They knew this was not going to go well for them.

"Jamie. Cindy. Why aren't you girls in school?" Judy asked trying to appear serious, but to anyone other than the girls playing hookey they would've thought her to be more curious.

Jamie didn't know how to lie to her mother. Even as Jimmy she was never good it. Cindy was a better liar. Although somehow it seemed that this predicament would be better resolved with the truth. "Well you see Mrs. Neutron, Jamie was having a rough day adjusting to school so I took her to the office. The receptionist was going to call you but she was scared you'd be mad so I sort of sweet talked her into letting me take her home instead."

"So you're expected to be back in school then. Cindy?"

Cindy looked down, tapping her foot with her hands behind her back. "No mam, I was signed out for the day." She made a cute, innocent girl face on purpose hoping Mrs. Neutron would be merciful.

"Hmm." Judy looked away from Cindy and over to her new daughter whom she was surprised to think was hers. "Sweetie, what are you doing here?" She asked now seeming concerned as though she were actually talking to Jimmy instead of his punishment Jamie.

Jamie had no idea how to answer. It was scary to admit the truth. The truth that Cindy brought her over to try something new that would be fun. And it was fun in ways she didn't expect. It brought out a side of herself she never would've known. But she was ashamed to admit it.

Cindy took over again. "She was crying because she didn't understand her new emotions so I thought this might clear that up."

"Oh." Judy turned back to her new daughter. "I see." Jamie stood there still embarrassed. "Well I guess it must've worked if you're already thinking about wearing earrings." Judy smiled.

A flush of embarrassment took over. Judy had seen and heard everything the moment she put on the gloves. It so embarrassing to think that his mom had seen her once son act like the girl she now was. It was beyond embarrassing. She wanted to disappear.

"You look beautiful." Judy complimented. She took steps closer to her daughter and took a strand of hair to brush it back behind her ear. "Do you like it?"

She did. Oh my God did she like it. Love it even. But she didn't want her mom to know that. She was ashamed of it already. She looked down embarrassed not wanting to admit it. She just couldn't.

"It's okay." Judy caressed her hand behind Jamie's head. In truth she didn't need the girl's admission. What she had seen was more than enough to give evidence that "like" wouldn't be anywhere close to accurate in describe how she felt. But seeing her reaction was enough. "You know, I came here to buy you clothes. But since you're here it's better that you pick them out and try them on so they fit. Cindy could help you. What do you say?"

Jamie couldn't look her mother in the eye, but she was excited at the opportunity even if she did her best not to show it. Instead she looked over to Cindy for some sort of approval. She needed to justify this decision in a way that could make sense to her.

"Explore and learn, right Neutron?" Cindy said.

That reminder was all she need to keep the right mindset. Regardless of everything that happened she would benefit from the experience somehow. Jamie looked over to her mother. Judy stood there offering a supporting smile, waiting for her daughter to say the thing she knew she wanted to say.

"What can I get?"

* * *

The girls ran around the department store grabbing everything that caught their eye as Judy followed. Jamie tried on shirts, jeans, skirts, bathing suits, underwear, shoes. She modeled in them all in front of her mother and felt joy every time she tried something new. A strong surge of femininity was taking over and rather than fight it she was embracing it. This was new and it was exciting. She looked absolutely beautiful in everything she wore and she knew it. What she loved more was how the clothes felt on her. It was a strange feeling, the impulse to always look her best. But she loved it and was able to share that enjoyment with her mother and her friend. (Is that was Cindy was now?) No expense was spared as Judy gave her new daughter all that she wanted. She was glad to see her happy.

They arrived back home just around the time school got out. It was perfect for Cindy since her parents were none the wiser about where she had been all day. The girls had wanted to go to Cindy's pool where Jamie could try on her new bathing suit in the water. Unfortunately Cindy had martial arts activities planned after school. But she promised they would be able to find time over the week. Jamie was excited, not even remembering that her original plan was to change back that not.

Jamie ran upstairs to her room with her bags containing her new clothes. She shut the the door and held a private modeling session for herself. She couldn't help it. Wearing these clothes felt amazing and she loved how she looked in them. She must've spent 3 hours admiring herself. All the clothes had been laid out on the bed, waiting to be put away.

That's when it hit her. She looked around the bedroom. The planetary wallpaper, rocket shaped bed, alien toys, posters of the galaxy. And then she looked over to her closet which was covered in boy clothes. That was who _he_ was. He was Jimmy Neutron. There was nothing wrong with Jamie. She had fun and she couldn't deny it. But she was only able to take comfort do to the fact that this was temporary. It was like Cindy had said, as a scientist she had to learn about the female mind. It was what kept her sane, making her feel like it was okay to be a girl.

That wasn't to suggest there was anything wrong with being a girl. She certainly didn't think her comments at the temple were true. But she wasn't comfortable in her own skin. She could adapt, act like one and truly enjoy it. But being alone by herself she was still Jimmy Neutron. No matter she had to find a way to go back. She had to.

Jamie left her room wearing a labcoat with her hair in a ponytail. "Goddard." She called out for the mechanical canine while going down the stairs. The always trusty companion arrived on command when called by his new mistress. She patted him on the muzzle as he licked her hand in return. "Come on, boy. I need your help."


	5. Chapter 5

"Jamie, wake up. You'll be late for school." Was the first thing she heard as her mother's footsteps left the room. Her eyes slowly opened up looking out the window. The sun was rising. It was a new day. A new beginning.

She hadn't slept much. After a long night in the lab she was left with a lot to think about. It wasn't until a couple hours ago that her body shut down out of necessity. But despite the short time of sleep she was wide awake. There was a lot on her mind.

It was no use thinking about it. She had to get up anyway and face her peers. It wouldn't be so bad. She did have a fun day at the mall with Cindy, who thankfully happened to be incredibly nice to her. But going to school was going to be embarrassing after the scene she made. It helped knowing that she at least had one friend who understood how she felt.

Aside from the physical change the morning proceeded as it always had. The family had breakfast downstairs. Mom made pancakes. Hugh played with ducks. Aside from her daddy still adjusting to the strangeness of the situation everything was just as it was. She then thanked her mom for breakfast and went upstairs to clean herself and get dressed. There wasn't time to pick out what she wanted to wear so she had to take whatever came first. But it didn't bother her, she loved everything she got yesterday anyway. She put on a comfortable pair of tight jeans and a medium persian blue top that brought out her eyes. The clothes were easy but taking care of her hair wasn't. She managed to brush it fine but couldn't get the ponytail on without twisting everything.

Judy happened to check in and was more than happy to help. She had been nothing but supportive since this whole thing happened. She had to be there for her child in a difficult time and thought that it was best for her to learn in Jamie's temporary stay at the Neutron home… Or so thought.

When Judy was done she left her daughter alone to get her things ready for school. As she grabbed her backpack she took one last look in the mirror. This was truly going to be her first day. It was scary, but not for the same reasons as it was the day before. She tried to make a smile to remain positive. It was comforting to see a beautiful happy face. It was then even more comforting knowing it was hers. The feelings she had experienced at the mall were coming back. She became more attuned to the comforting feeling of her clothes. This wasn't bad at all. It was possible the day could end up being worse than her meltdown at school, but now she felt ready. Jamie took a confident step out the door, ready to make a new impression at school.

* * *

Normally Carl would be waiting outside for Jimmy so they could walk to the bus stop. However when Jamie left her house Carl was nowhere in sight. It was odd, but she was leaving later than usual. Maybe he went ahead. But when she walked past the Wheezers home she swore she saw Carl looking at the window only to duck when they made eye contact. She gasped and then felt insulted. But then logic took over and she remembered how Carl and Sheen acted when she stood a new person for the first time. "I guess I have to get used that." She thought to herself.

Around the corner Cindy was already waiting at the bus stop. She saw Jamie coming which surprised her a little. As fun as the mall was she figured Jimmy was going to come back after working in the lab. But it didn't. It wasn't just that. Something about Jamie seemed different this time. It was a little off putting but she was happy to see her anyway. She could tell Jamie felt the same as she was smiling back.

"Hey." Cindy greeted.

"Good morning." Jamie said quite bubbly.

"You look great." Cindy meant it.

"Thank you. I feel great." Jamie said with a smile.

The bus arrived and the girls got on. Carl popped out of the corner and ran up to the bus. It looked like he had been hiding there for a while. Jamie saw it as she ran past.

Going down the aisle it was impossible not to notice all the stares she was getting from her peers. Almost all of them now knew who she was. She was the new girl that ran out of class crying. Every face she walked by she felt like she was being judged by every girl on the bus, regardless of whether or not that was true. The boys on the other hand, it was just different. She wasn't entirely sure what they were thinking (or didn't want to believe it). Naturally being at the beginning stages of puberty they weren't exactly sure either.

Libbey had been sitting at the usual seat she shared with Cindy. The seats behind her were taken. Jamie looked around to see what seats were available farther back where she could sit alone. Cindy stopped by her usual spot and said something to Libbey. It wasn't whispered but Jamie didn't hear it. Cindy then kept going. Evidently Libbey was a little surprised, but not upset. Not clearly upset anyway.

Cindy took the nearest open seat and Jamie sat down next to her. She was grateful to not be alone, but still it felt wrong. Cindy and Libby were best friends after all. If things were going to have to change she didn't want to ruin what was there before.

"Are you okay?" Cindy asked.

Jamie moved her eyes away from Libbey and over to Cindy. "Yeah, just…" She didn't want to say what was on her mind.

Fortunately Cindy took over. "Don't worry about yesterday. If you just say you were homesick and act normal all day you'll be fine."

She was grateful Cindy took over. It wasn't on her mind at that second, but it was when she got on the bus. "It's uncomfortable the way everyone looks at me."

Cindy smiled. "Boys will drool when they look at a pretty girl."

"What?" Jamie turned to Cindy confused.

"You do know most of these guys are thinking of taking you to the dance now, right?"

"What?" Jamie said more alarmed.

"The dance tomorrow. The one I believe you called 'a formal containment forcing boys and girls to like each other against their will' if I remember correctly."

"Are you serious?" Cindy nodded back. "Why? Who would want to go to that st… that dance." For some reason the word "stupid" wouldn't come out of that sentence. Cindy caught on and smiled.

"You were the only person in our grade that said something against it."

"Carl and Sheen too."

"No." Cindy laughed. "Sheen's taking Libbey because… well, she's forcing to him to. But Carl hasn't said anything. Everytime you made fun of it he would stand behind you and look down. I'm pretty sure he wants to go but wouldn't say that in front of you."

Jamie still had trouble accepting it. "But we're in 5th grade. It isn't until middle school that kids go to dances, right?"

"We're going to have to start sometime."

"I can't believe people are going."

"Most of them do want to go. If you weren't the only person in school who didn't go to cotillion classes you'd understand why."

"Well I'm glad I'm not going." Jamie forced stubbornly. But Cindy caught on to a new trait Jamie wasn't aware of. She knew Jamie wasn't telling the entire truth.

"Really? Cindy smiled knowing better.

That smile began to frighten Jamie as though she were found out. But she had no idea why. What was it in her head that made her react like that? "'Really?' what?"

"If someone asked you right now to the dance you wouldn't go."

In her head she knew that answer. But she wasn't ready to admit it to herself. An embarrassing laugh took over as Jamie desperately came up with an excuse. "Cindy, when you said explore and discover that meant knowing what being a girl is like. But dancing with a boy is not something I need to understand what feelings go into that."

Cindy's smile widened. "So if one of the many boys that are interested in you, one of them being let's say… oh… Nick Dean." A subtle twitch in Jamie's eyes didn't go unnoticed. Cindy knew she had her attention. "If he asked you would you go?"

"Why? Did he say something?"

Cindy laughed. "No. But yesterday in class he was clearly looking at you."

An uneasy feeling hit the pit of Jamie's stomach. She faced forward and slouched down a little, dreading the day that was to come.

The bus stopped at a four-way intersection when suddenly, WITHOUT WARNING, a nearby truck container on the road exploded. The children looked right away. A big hole was blown through the back. The corporate logo on the side read "Chemical Solutions." At first Jamie thought it was some kind of mix up with chemicals, but then the two nefarious baddies behind the explosion revealed themselves with a laugh. It was unmistakeable. Finbarr Calamitous was back in town to cause havoc. The vertically challenged mad scientist stepped out to reveal himself. Behind him was Beautiful Gorgeous, carrying a cylinder containing a lava like substance.

"HAHAHAHA! The hottest volcanic lava in the world that will make my weapons even more powerful! It's finally mine! All mine!"

"Yeah, yeah." Beautiful Gorgeous responded nonchalant. "Now can you put the fireproof bag on this before it melts through my hands."

"It should be in the bag with all the other tools, dear."

"There wasn't a bag in there."

"Yes there was. I put it in there my se-…" The memory came back to Calamitous.

"You forgot to bring it, didn't you?"

The glass of the cylinder, which was kept cool in the truck compartment for safety reason, was thawing out quickly. The glass of the cylinder then began to crack.

Calamitous looked at it defeated. "Oh dear."

The glass then shattered on the side, causing Beautiful to drop it on the ground. The most lava substance on the planet had hit the ground and it was beginning to spread quickly.

The citizens of Retroville watched as the lava made its way under some cars, causing them to catch fire. It continued to grow and expand around the area. Everyone on the bus was horrified.

The bus driver stood up and faced the children. "Everyone, out of the bus now! Go!"

The kids began to run off as the driver stood at the front making sure they left one at a time. Once they had all made it outside safely they could only watch the two villains argue as everyone else kept their distance from the lava.

"Where's Jimmy Neutron when you need him?" One kid said.

"Yeah, he knows how to fix things like this." Another added.

Jamie heard what was said. It was true. Whenever something like this happened the town depended on Jimmy. But they didn't know he was now gone for good… yet it didn't matter. She was still a Neutron and she had to do something. She lifted up her wrist for the watch but it wasn't there. That was something Jimmy wore. She hit herself on the head for not having it. Fortunately she did still have his backpack. That was enough.

Jamie took off without warning or explanation. All the other kids looked up confused.

Then the lava continued making its way closer as the bus caught on fire. The flames sprayed in their direction sporadically out of control. Everyone was freaking out. They continued to move along with the rest of the town to a safer distance.

Mixed up in the crowd of kids was little Nisa. As she struggled to get around the big kids she tripped and fell on the ground. Afraid, she stayed down trying to shield herself from the crowd walking around her until they were all gone. Once the crowd cleared she unshielded her arms from her eyes. The lava had caught up close. Some of it was even rapidly surrounding her. Everyone else was looking back, taking the occasional steps away to remain safe. Nisa ran towards them. But then a street pole was struck by the lava and landed right in front of her. Sparks were shooting out from the pole. It wasn't safe to climb over. She turned back to see she was completely cornered. The lava surrounded her as it creeped in closer and closer on all sides. She started to feel the heat coming from it. This was it. She covered her eyes with her hands.

"Look over there!" Someone shouted pointing at a flying object in the sky.

"It's a bird!" Sheen yelled.

"It's a plane!" Carl added.

"IT'S SUPERGIRL!" Sheen shouted. Suddenly he felt a whack on the back of his head. "OW!" He turned around to see it was from Libby. "What? The show's actually pretty good."

Libby shook her head. "You idiot."

It was Jamie of course. The girl genius had returned. She looked down to see helpless little Nisa. Just before the lava was able to consume her, Jamie flew down and grabbed the little girl. She then put her down with the rest of the kids where she was safe before she flew back around towards the lava. She grabbed the freeze ray from the backpack and stopped every inch of lava from spreading.

Dr. Calamitous and Beautiful Georgous were with the crowd of people when they saw the kid in the jetback come down.

"Oh blast. It's that rotten little Jimmy Neutron." Calamitous whined.

Beautiful Gorgeous picked up her vertically challenged father. "Come on, dad. Let's go before we have to go to jail." The attractive villainess began to walk.

"Let go of me. I can walk by myself."

"You're only going to slow us down. Stop whining."

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" A voice called from behind them.

"Oh brother. You couldn't get us out of here fast enough." Calamitous whined.

Beautiful turned around with Calamitous in tow. They expected it to go down the same way it always had: Jimmy Neutron stopped them from escaping, the police arrested them, and then the BTSO would pick them up. But what they saw wasn't Jimmy. What they saw was a kind and innocent looking young girl confidently pointing the freeze ray directly towards them. It wasn't a sight they were used to.

"Stay where you are." Jamie instructed.

"Who are you?" Calamitous asked.

Indeed that was the question. Who was she? Of course she knew what he meant, but the meaning hit her in a strange way. No one had ever asked her the question until now. And now she had to answer for who she was. Who she truly was.

"I'm Jamie Neutron and you're not going to get away with this, whoever you are." Of course that last part was a lie, but for appearances sake it was necessary.

The name "Neutron" should've gotten Calamitous' attention. But his reaction made it clear he wasn't listening or taking her seriously. "Oh, how typical of you. You always have to ruin my plans and now it's your fault we're being threatened by a pathetic little girl. It's all your fault." The words "pathetic" and the lack of serious attention was a shock.

"My fault?" Beautiful yelled as she dropped Calamitous on his head.

The mad scientist got back up, rubbing the concrete specks off his head. "Yes, your fault."

"Well who was it that forgot to pack the one thing we needed to pull off this evil plan?"

"Oh, quit using that as an excuse. You're an awful villainous who cannot take any responsibility for yourself."

"Well I didn't ever plan to be a villainous. You dragged me into this life. I always wanted to be a-"

Just then a wave of freeze struck the two before Beautiful Gorgeous could even finish her sentence. "No one cares." Jamie said to herself in response to Beautiful's constant whining over the issue.

Though there wasn't any direct insult thrown at her she couldn't believe Calamitous had dismissed her like that. A part of her used to enjoy the old good guy/bad guy banter between them when Jimmy would stop them. Given everything she had once done to pose a legitimate threat to his operations, Calamitous ignored her. But he wasn't ignoring her now as she could see his eyes blinking back through his frozen ice protective layer. Next time he would have to give her the equal attention she deserved like she had as Jimmy.

As she kept looking at her rival in disgust, a strange but familiar sound came from behind. It sounded like a clap followed by another clap. The sound kept going continuously as it began to expand into a series of claps. Before she had even turned around she could tell the sound dominated every person behind her.

Jamie turned around to face her public. Everyone was cheering. This was something new. The once boy genius who was labeled as the town's cause of destruction was receiving applause from its residents for the first time. Never did this happen for Jimmy. She was being rewarded for her work with genuine applause. It was quite overwhelming.

* * *

The rest of the kids that weren't on the bus had heard the story of how Jimmy Neutron's cousin saved the town from melting. The boy genius had done it a thousand times, but it was usually for something he caused. This incident was caused by a couple of local villains and the girl just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Everyone around town heard the news and they were all very grateful.

Class went by very well. No one seemed to care that she ran out crying. Better yet she was being complimented on her intellect, something people couldn't stand about JImmy Neutron. Her classmates were all impressed by her and she felt great because of it. It felt nicer to be treated this way. She had no idea why they never were before. Maybe it was just a boy thing.

In the hallway during lunch Cindy was opening up her locker. "I don't know why everyone's acting different." Jamie told her. "Instead of annoying them with my intellect they actually like me for it. Are people just nicer to girls in general?"

Cindy laughed. "Well, duh." Jamie laughed back. "But it also helps that you aren't being a showoffey jerk."

"Hey Jamie." A voice said from behind them.

She turned around still smiling, but that quickly went away as her nerves began to shoot up at the sight of Nick Dean. Along with that there was a very pleasant feeling in her stomach. It was confusing. A part of her was incredibly nervous, but she just couldn't go away. She didn't want to.

Nick stood there with a popsicle in his trademark "cool" pose. "It was cool what you did this morning."

"Oh." Jamie modestly looked down. "It was nothing. Just trying to do the right thing." She laughed uncomfortably.

"Well you sure can fly better than you cousin." _What was that supposed to mean_ she thought at first. But then she looked back into his eyes and just didn't care. "Can I talk to you for minute?"

They just stood there for a while as she comprehended the request. The very idea seemed crazy. Nick Dean wanting to talk to her? TO HER? IN PRIVATE? What reason on Earth could there be for that? She was doing backflips in her head but wasn't sure why. "Um." She turned to Cindy looking for some sort of guidance.

Cindy reveled in Jamie's reaction. She knew exactly what was going on in her head. But instead of helping her at this point it was best to let the girl find out for herself. "I'll leave you two to talk."

Jamie fired a sharp glare back at her, but Cindy just pushed Jamie up slightly as she walked away.

"Um… so what's up?" Cindy hear Jamie ask as she went around the corner.

She knew what was happening and was happy. It was good for her to try it out. She knew that deep down the new girl was yearning for it… And yet it also made her feel sad. Any chance of Cindy going to the dance with the boy she wanted went out the window the moment Jamie entered the picture. But the chances of it happening were slim to begin with. At least for now she felt she was doing a good thing.

"What are you doing to Jimmy?" A voice came from behind her.

Cindy turned around to a serious faced Libby. "What do you mean?"

"Are you kidding me? Have you seen him. He's 100% acting like a girl now."

"Well _she_ is a girl."

"When you said you went to the mall I didn't think you were getting him a makeover."

"Her mother bought her all those clothes. It was what she wanted."

"Cindy!" Libby put an arm in front of her and stopped walking. "You know this is weird. He was supposed to change himself back last night."

"I thought he would too. I was surprised to see Jamie up and happy this morning. I don't know why he didn't change back. Maybe Jimmy's just happier as a girl."

"Girl, don't lie to me. You haven't exactly been trying to help him change back."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I saw what you did. You trapped Jimmy in Nick's web and that boy is definitely going to that dance tomorrow night."

"Well good for her."

"Are you sure this isn't some kind of revenge scheme you're cooking up just because you didn't get the date you wanted."

"This has nothing to do with that. I really just had a lot of fun with her yesterday. And now… I don't know. She's still here I guess. I don't know why but if she's happy I don't need to get in the way."

"Well we have to change him back. Carl and Sheen are getting weirder than they already are without having Jimmy around."

"Cindy!" The girls heard coming from around the hallway.

Jamie ran towards them, looking happier than she ever had before. She stopped in front of them with extreme excitement. "OH MY GOD! Guess what Nick just did?"

Cindy smiled knowing what happened but wanted to hear it anyway. "What?" She asked. Libby caught on to the smile.

Jamie intentionally let a dramatic pause build up as her lip quivered struggling to contain the words any longer. "Nick asked me to the dance and I said 'yes!'"

"Wow! I'm really happy for you!" Cindy shared with excitement. Libby just stared back.

"I know. I'm really happy my mom bought that dress."

"You have a dress?" Libby asked, her unfavorable reaction being oblivious to Jamie.

Jamie nodded. "It's amazing. I cannot wait to wear it tomorrow night. It's beautiful. You'll see it."

"Why don't you bring it over to my house tonight? Libby and I are having a sleepover. You should come."

"Really?"

Libby just stood there dumbfounded. "Yeah. It should be fun."

"Oh, wow." Jamie was completely overwhelmed with excitement. "I'll have to ask my mom but she should be fine with it."

"Cool."

The lunch bell then rang. "Oh, I have to use bathroom real quick." Jamie told them. "I'll see you back in class."

"Okay." Cindy said.

Jamie ran off, the look of excitement still occupying her face. It made Cindy smile.

Libby's face on the other hand was the complete opposite. The intensity of it perplexed Cindy a bit. "What? she asked.

"A dress." Libby addressed seriously. "You had him buy a dress."

Cindy laughed uncomfortably. "Haha, well technically her mom did. But oh my God you have to see it, Libs. This dress is so beautiful it was practically a crime for her not to get it. It's- haha… It's um…" Libby's serious look had finally shamed Cindy.

"Look, I don't mind you inviting Neutron over tonight. It gives us a chance to figure out what's really going on. But what I really don't like is watching you torture yourself over that boy."

"What do you mean?"

Libby shook her head in disbelief. "Cindy, that boy has to come back and you know it."

* * *

There was pizza. Purple Flurp. Even a TV brought up from downstairs so the girls didn't have to leave the room.

After showing off the dress Jamie was having a great time. All of this came to her naturally at this point. The idea of a pillow fight may have been appealing in the once boy mind. But the reality was different. There weren't any dolls to play with or anything like that. All they did was talk. They talked about pretty much everything. School, kids, teachers, parents. The conversation then ended up being mostly about boys, a topic that Jamie knew nothing about. All she could do was sit back and listen. It didn't catch her interest that much, even though she was curious. But it wasn't until the subject of Libby and Sheen came up that she really paid attention. Despite being worried about Jimmy, Libby was comfortable being honest.

"I really cannot stand watching that Ultralord show." Libbey confided.

"I will never understand why you decide to put up with it. I don't hate Sheen, but the kid is dumb."

"Honestly, I don't like the show. But I like watching it with him anyway. I don't know why, it's just nice to see him be excited about stuff. I think that's why I like him. Or at least it's why I like being around him."

Jamie did a reality check in her head to make sure it wasn't a dream. It was interesting to hear what Libbey really thought about Sheen. Having seen and heard both sides of the story she knew Sheen had no idea how lucky he was. Jamie noticed Cindy look down at her feet after Libby's explanation. Right away it became clear in her mind that Cindy was jealous. She didn't know why she had that thought and wanted to keep it private, but it was obvious to her. But even she had to be honest with herself and admit she was jealous of Libby and Sheen as well. She envied what they had. Even as a boy there was someone Jimmy felt something for that he daydreamed about on an almost daily basis. Whether as a boy or a girl, the idea of having someone was one that she hoped would happen. She then turned to Cindy who was still looking at her feet. "What about you Cindy?" They both turned to Jamie to hear her speak for the first time in an hour. "Is there anyone at school you like?"

Libby quickly looked to Cindy, more than interested in seeing her reaction.

"Um…" Cindy bit her lip, thinking carefully of how to answer that. "Not right now, no."

"Really?" Libby crossed her arms.

"Yeah." Cindy nodded. "No boy that goes to school right now."

"Uh-huh." Libby reacted.

It was clear to Jamie that there was at least something on Cindy's mind. "It's not Nick is it?"

Libby laughed. Cindy turned to Jamie surprised. "What? No… Oh, no no no. Not at all." Cindy gestured her hand in a way to brush it off. "Please…" Cindy chuckled uncomfortably.

"You can tell me." Jamie genuinely tried to be comforting. "I don't have to go to the dance with him. I really wouldn't want to get in the way."

"Oh no." Cindy sincerely shook her head. "Look, every girl in school has a thing for Nick but that doesn't mean I like him or anything. He's cool, but he asked you. You should have fun. with him."

There was something off about her answer. It didn't seem like she was lying but Jamie sensed something was off. Libby caught on to Jamie's reaction. There was still some of the old Jimmy in that brain.

"Well thank you." Jamie said sincerely.

Cindy took one last sip of her Purple Flurp before taking a deep breathe and getting up. "I have to use the bathroom real quick."

Jamie and Libbey both nodded while Cindy made her way out the door, leaving the two girls alone for the first time ever.

Silence occupied the room for a good 30 seconds. Jamie broke eye contact a couple of times in favor of whatever object was in the corner, taking time to strike up a conversation.

"So…" She made eye contact again with Libbey. "Do you do anything else with Sheen?"

Libby shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, we talk and stuff."

"What about?" Jamie asked, not necessarily looking for an answer but just to get a conversation going.

"That's none of your business. Those are private conversations between us."

"Ah… Okay." Jamie nodded and then looked away again worried she had offended.. Thinking on it they must've been very private since Sheen rarely spilled the details, if ever. He may have been tough to trust at keeping secrets but when it was private he was good about keeping his mouth shut.

"He misses you a lot, Jimmy." She made eye contact again. Even though it was a day it had felt like it was ages since she had been called by that name. "They both do."

This made Jamie smile a little. It was good to hear her friends cared about her. She hadn't doubted that, even if they now acted weird, but it made her feel less alone and confused about herself.

"Have you even tried to find a way to change back?" Libby asked.

That was big the question. Jimmy should've returned by now. That was the original plan. So what happened?

It was pointless to hide it. The truth would come out eventually. Jamie put a hand behind her head and scratched her neck. "I did try. After the mall I went down to the lab and spent the whole night trying to figure it out. I thought it might be something as simple repairing my atoms. I kept a copy from the original files from that time they got mixed with Carl's hamster."

"What?" Libby reacted surprised.

"Oh yeah… I guess Carl and Sheen never told you about that one… anyway I had the data I thought I needed. But then I did several tests and scans on my new body and…" Jamie looked down at her feet. "I don't even know where to start."

"It's okay. You can tell me."

Jamie looked back up. "I mean I literally don't know where to start. The results I got showed many complexities in my DNA that I've never seen before. It's not anything known to science. I couldn't find a way around it and even if I did it would be years, maybe even decades until I figured something out. Even then I don't know if it would be enough to change back. So…"

"You mean-"

"Yeah… I'm stuck."

"Well can't you just ask Hera to change you back?"

"I would ask but how am I supposed to summon a Goddess."

"I don't know. Pray or something."

Jamie laughed at the idea but it quickly faded. Everything about this situation was different from the other ones he'd accidently put himself into. "That's something I thought about too. This wasn't science, it was magic that did it. I can't change the DNA strain because there's a spell on it, or at least I assume that's what you'd call it. But I was a man of science, Libby. So if there is such a thing as magic that goes against everything I believed. How am I supposed to keep working as a scientist now that I know it's a useless power?"

Libby had no answer. Jimmy had been in many scrapes, but it was always due to scientific error. This one went beyond those boundaries.

"If I could change back right now I would. I know this isn't me. But it has been fun. It isn't as painful as I thought it would be. Also I really am excited to go to the dance tomorrow. And people have been nicer to me today than they ever were to me as Jimmy. If that's my punishment is to live like this forever then that's not so bad. I'd rather be a boy but I think I'll be okay."

It was difficult to take in. The thought of never seeing Jimmy again made her feel sad. The entire dynamic of the group would change as a result. But it wasn't just because it felt like the loss of a friend. She was worried at how this would affect Cindy. But for now the best she could do was support Jamie in her new situation.

"We're all here for you, Jamie." She looked up at Libby, hearing her be called by her new name for the first time. "We're all still in the same group and we'll support you no matter what. But do me one favor."

"What's that?" Jamie asked.

"Don't leave Carl and Sheen behind. They really miss hanging out with you."

"I'll talk to them tomorrow."

Libby nodded back. It was right then that Cindy came into the room and proposed they watched a movie. They sat and watched "Mean Girls" until they had all fallen asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Friday. The school bell rang. Everyone ran outside looking forward to the weekend. Many of them were counting down until the dance. Jamie and Cindy walked out of the building.

"My mom is going to drive us at 5, so we should probably start getting ready at 4." Cindy briefed.

"Cool. I'll be there." Jamie said with excitement. "Oh, by the way I forgot to ask. You didn't tell me who your date was."

"Oh." Cindy was caught red-handed. "Um… I actually, kind of, sort of… don't have one."

"What?"

"Yeah, but it's fine. It's not like I'm the only one there that's going to be single."

"I can't believe it. Of all girls that should have a date nobody asked you?"

"Well, Ike and a couple of other guys asked me but…" She lied, not wanting

"Oh." Jamie frowned. "I know what you mean."

"Yeah… But anyway it'll be fun. I'll be there with you and Libby."

"I'm just sad you won't be having fun on the dance floor."

"Eh, whatever. There's going to be plenty of other dances. You should be focused on yourself anyway. It's a big night for you."

Jamie smiles.

"Jamie!" Sheen's voice called from behind her. She turned back to see it was Carl, Sheen, and Libby. Carl looked away. Sheen waved, but didn't seem really happy. Libby signaled with her arms for Jamie to come over.

"I really should talk to them. We haven't talked since that day in the lab."

"You have time. You don't need to be at my house for a couple of hours."

"Yeah." She kept looking over at Carl and Sheen. She really didn't want to talk to them. It worried her that it would be awkward. But Libby was impossible to deny. And after their conversation the night before it would be cruel of her to not at least give the boys a chance.

Jamie turned back to Cindy. "I'll go over and say 'hi.' See you in a few." Jamie smiled back as she turned around and walked towards her old friends.

"Bye." Cindy said.

Once they saw her walking over, Jamie could see Libby start to walk away as she said something to Sheen. Her smile seemed reassuring, but it didn't look like she left the boys feeling comfortable. It wasn't that shocking anyway. Libby approached her closer and closer as they crossed paths. "Good luck." She said and then continued moving forward to meet Cindy.

Carl remained hunched over while Sheen was looking up scratching his head. She slowed her pace when standing 15 feet away. Sheen was the first to make eye contact,

"Hey." She greeted with a smile.

"Hey." Sheen replied rather awkwardly.

She looked to Carl who still avoided making eye contact. "How've you been, Carl?"

"Oh." Carl briefly looked up until he flinched back down. "I've been okay I guess." He sounded incredibly nervous.

"Hmm." Jamie nodded.

"Sooooo…" Sheen broke the ice. "You're going to the dance with Nick tonight?"

"Yeah." She answered enthusiastically in her I-love-butterflies voice but tried to downplay it. It only succeeded in making things more awkward.

"Cool." Sheen nods sounding less than enthusiastic.

Silence hung for a bit. It made Carl feel even more uncomfortable as he took a couple steps back. "Really, Carl?" Sheen pushes him back up front even closer than before.

"What? I'm sorry but I'm just not comfortable standing so close to Jimmy now that he's a cute girl. I can't help it. It's too weird."

"Carl, you're never this weird around Cindy and Libby."

Carl straightened up his posture and confronted Sheen up close. "You also think this is weird. Don't put all the pressure on me."

"Yeah, right. The only reason you're so nervous around him is because you told me he now looks like his mom."

Carl got defensive. "That is not-"

"Guys!" She raised her voice loud enough to stop them. Carl looked back down to the ground. "Carl, look at me." The nervous boy took his time but eventually looked her in the eyes. Whatever he was thinking she didn't know. If it was anything like what Sheen said then she definitely didn't want to know, even if she was flattered he said she was cute. But this was about something. They couldn't ignore each other like this forever.

"It's still me, Carl. I might have a girl's mind now and be more interested in doing what girl's do, but I'm still the same. Just one tiny difference."

"It still feels weird, Jimmy." Carl admitted.

"It is weird." She admitted. "But you really have no reason to be nervous. In fact since I've now lived as both a boy and a girl you should believe when I tell you there's no reason you should be nervous around any girl."

"It's still creepy." Sheen pointed out. "Watching you be so… different now."

It wasn't easy to explain. Even though it was all feeling natural to her she had to admit the whole thing felt weird. Maybe it always would. If that was the way it was going to be then there was no reason to hide the truth from them.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around you guys. I wanted to be alone until I could fix this and I tried but… It looks like I'm stuck."

"You mean… forever?" Carl asked.

Jamie nodded. "I really would prefer to be a boy, but this really isn't bad. Everyone's been nicer to me and I feel I've also been kinder. Maybe it's better this way. I don't mind doing girly things. Actually I've been having a lot of fun. But I don't want to lose you both as friends."

Carl and Sheen looked at each other, thinking it over. "But what can we do if you're always doing girls stuff?"

That was true. She didn't know if she still liked doing the things they did when they hung out. She still like Retroland. She still liked going to the Candy Bar. Then again all kids did regardless of gender. What was there that they could do?… Then she thought about video games. Sheen would always have them play Ultra Planetroid. She liked it then but now… Actually, she still liked it. Thinking about it now actually made her want to play it.

Jamie smiled at the idea. "I have a few hours before I have to get ready for the dance. Why don't we go back to the lab and play videogames for a while?"

* * *

Playing video games in the lab was just what they did. And it really was as if nothing had changed, Jamie herself being the exception. The boys were comfortable around her and most importantly their friendship was saved. She could still enjoy the boy things she had done before. It was nice that Hera hadn't completely changed her. But Carl and Sheen were possibly even happier than Jamie. Being able to play video games with a girl was something they both thought was awesome. When the time came she said goodbye to Carl and told Sheen she'd see him later tonight.

Jamie brought her things over to Cindy's, prepared to stay over for the night after the dance. Cindy helped her put the dress on once again and the girls helped her with both her hair and makeup. It was overwhelming, how beautiful she looked that she wanted to cry. Of course she didn't because that would ruin all the work Libby put into the makeup.

Cindy's mom drove the girls over to the school auditorium where the dance was held. She'd be back to pick them up in about 3 hours, when the dance was over. Other students went inside with their dates. Sheen was in a tux waiting by the stairs until the sight of Libby. He runs up to her and bows down holding out one hand. "Oh my queen, may I have thee pleasure of accompanying thee tonight?" Libby smiled, adoring the geeky approach like she always did when it came to Sheen. She extended her arm which he took as the crossed them together.

As the began walking Libby turned to Jamie. "We'll save you and Nick a spot at our table."

Cindy stayed outside with Jamie as they continued to wait for Nick. It was only 2 minutes until the official time it was set to start.

Although she didn't have to say it, Cindy could tell Jamie was getting worried. "If he doesn't show up I'll break a bone his body hasn't broken yet."

But fortunately he did show up and he did so the only way he knew how: by being cool. Nick road in with his skateboard wearing a tux, a bouquet of orchids in his hand. The two girls looked at each other and smiled. "Good luck." Cindy said as she went inside and left her friend alone to enjoy herself.

Nick kicked his skateboard up from the ground and caught it with his free hand. He made his way towards her, exuding pure confidence with every step. Whatever he did to make her feel so wonderful worked. She didn't know why it did but she didn't care to question it anymore. It felt great and there was no reason to ruin the evening for herself.

"You look beautiful." The mini Casanova complimented as her handed her the orchids. She flattered and took them. It never dawned on her to ever like flowers but they were wonderful. The vanilla scent coming from them drove her mind crazy as she continued to gaze at Nick. She was so stunned that she forgot how to move.

Nick extended his free arm. "Shall we go inside?"

Three days ago if you had told Jimmy Neutron that he would be turned into a girl and within the week enjoy almost every aspect of it, as well as going to the school dance with Nick Dean then he would've no doubt said it was impossible that would ever happen. Yet here they were now. She had accepted that this might be her life from now on. She accepted that this wasn't so bad as she did find herself enjoying it quite a bit. But this feeling cured any doubt she had once had. She was being treated like she was special, like she was worth it. At this moment she wouldn't have traded this wonderful feeling for anything.

Jamie took Nick's arm. He escorted her inside. The timing had been perfect as they entered just when the dance began. They were the last two to show up. All eyes were on them. It truly was like a magical Disney movie moment. Never did she think something like this was possible. The boy side of her brain acknowledged how stupid the thought was, but she didn't care about the logic behind it. She felt amazing and that was enough.

The auditorium was decorated with all sorts of confetti, mostly red and gold in color. There wasn't really a theme for this dance but most of this stuff seemed to be left over from Valentine's day. It seemed somewhat appropriate.

Libby and Sheen waved the couple down. They went to the table. Nick set Jamie in her seat and pushed the chair in. She set the flowers on the table. "I'm going to get some punch." Nick announced.

"Oh, right." Sheen got up in a hurry to go get some. He then backtracked and looked back at Libby. "Do you want some my Ultra Queen?"

"I would, thank you." Libby responded well mannered.

Of course Sheen was impatient and ran to go get some punch since he mostly wanted some for himself. But now the two girls were left there alone to talk.

"He got you flowers?" Libby pointed out.

Jamie smiled. "I cannot believe he did that. It's so…" The words weren't coming to her. She wasn't sure what they were.

Libby came in for the save. "You're very lucky. I wish Sheen would give me something other than his old toys and a throne built with action figure boxes." They both laughed. "But it's kind of cute when he does." Libby smiled.

Jamie couldn't help but notice behind Libby that Cindy was standing against the wall by herself. Occasionally she would sneak glances at the table in order to see how her friends were doing. "I feel really bad for her."

Libby looked behind her to see who Jamie was talking about. "She'll be fine. I think she just wants to see you happy."

"I'm just shocked that she couldn't get a date."

"Well she's not the only pretty girl on school not to have one. I haven't seen Betty Quinlan around here tonight."

That wasn't enough to make Jamie feel better. "Do you think if it wasn't for me she would be dancing with Nick tonight?"

"Don't think like that. It's not your fault. And besides Nick wasn't the person she really wanted to go with anyway."

"Who was it then?"

Libby hesitated to say, but luckily Sheen had arrived with some punch for him and Libby.

Then a glass gracefully appeared in front of Jamie's face. She turned to see it being offered by Nick. She accepted it in a very ladylike mannerism.

The four stayed at the table for a while but it was mostly Jamie and Libby that talked. The boys didn't have much common ground. The music was upbeat, until a slow song change the mood of the entire place. It was "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by The Platters. Nick took that as his cue. He stood up like a gentlemen and offered his hand. "May I have this dance."

It was funny how she had forgotten she was at a dance. She was enjoying herself at the table so much that it slipped her mind. But the offer combined with the music was perfectly timed. She went with it, taking his hand and letting him take her out to the dance floor.

Her wrapped his arms around her waist. She placed hers around his neck. She didn't know what to do and only placed her hands there because that's what the other girls did. But Nick took the lead and she followed it. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. It was as if the song did all the talking for him. That couldn't possibly be true, but in that moment it felt very much like it could be. Just him holding her, looking into her eyes, confidently taking the floor was enough. She knew all eyes in the room were on them. It made her incredibly nervous, but Nick was there to make it perfect.

Cindy watched enviously from the corner, happy that her friend was enjoying herself. But if only things were different. If none of this had ever happened Jimmy could've grown up and matured enough to bring her onto that dance floor. Now it seemed like that would never happen. She was happy for Jamie, but she really missed Jimmy. But she wouldn't tell anyone. Anyway they were all kids. She still was too young to be thinking about that stuff. The odds were very low that Jimmy Neutron could actually be "the one." She knew she'd meet plenty of other boys in the future.

The song was nearing it's end. She had been staring into his eyes for so long she hadn't noticed that they were getting closer to each other as the song went on. She felt it. He clearly did too. For a second she hesitated. It was impossible that this could be happening. But it was. And she loved it. But it was scary. However Nick wasn't about to stop. At the final crescendo of the song he went for it. His lips carefully, gently planted themselves onto hers. She closed her eyes and took it in. All those worries went away as fireworks exploded in her her. This was the best night of her life.

* * *

After the slow dance Nick had quickly excused himself stating he needed to take care of something real quick. She let him go as she needed a bit of time to collect herself. There was a wonderful flame building up in her body and she had to let it burst out. She left the auditorium and went to the bathroom to do it.

She went in and was alone. In the mirror she looked at herself, looking as beautiful as before. There was an energy of excitement just waiting to burst out. She felt so happy that she just couldn't contain it.

Cindy then entered the bathroom. "Is everything okay?" She asked right away.

Jamie turned to her friend. A look of concern on her face. Out of nowhere she began squealing. It alarmed Cindy even more, but before she could do anything Jamie came in for a hug. Cindy embraced her back. Her alarmed reaction faded back to one of happiness.

Jamie let go and continued squealing with excitement. "It was so incredible! I don't even know what say! It was…" Without finding the words to continue she started jumping up and down. Cindy smiled. "I've never felt this great in my life!" She proclaimed.

"I'm so happy for you!" Cindy enthusiastically claimed. She truly meant it.

Jamie finally calmed down a little after getting her feelings out there. Her thoughts then went back to Cindy. She was bummed that her friend wasn't also out there having a good time… Friend… The word "Friend." It dawn on her that days ago that wouldn't be the word she would use to describe Cindy. Associate, maybe. Rival, definitely. But friend? Her transformation was indeed a traumatizing one and Cindy could've made it even worse for her. But she didn't.

"Thank you, Cindy." Jamie said with sincerity.

"What for?" Cindy asked understandably curious.

"Everything." Jamie said. "You and I weren't exactly nice to each other all the time. You could have continued to rub this in my face but instead you helped me enjoy it. So.. Thank you for showing me how to have fun."

A different smile grew on Cindy's face. One that seemed like it was something she needed to hear. It meant the world to her that Neutron was grateful, but it wasn't for the reason Cindy thought.

But of course Cindy, being too proud and stubborn to verbally accept a compliment, changed the subject. "Let's get you back to that dance floor."

She knew Vortex was always stubborn, but it was obvious what she said had affected her. It was funny that she never noticed how vulnerable Cindy could appear, even if she tried hard not to say anything. Maybe it was only obvious now because she was a girl.

The girls made their way to exit the bathroom. Jamie opened the door with a smile on her face, a smile that quickly faded when she saw Betty Quinlan, with a bouquet of roses in her hand, sucking face with none other than her beau for the night, Nick Dean. From any outsider's view the kiss looked beautiful as Betty was in heaven. But not to the girls in front of them.

Jamie stood there stunned, confused that this was happening. Nick was supposed to be her date. Moments earlier she was on the dance floor with him, experiencing her first kiss that felt magical. She thought it was a special moment for the both of them.

Cindy's look of shock shifted to one of anger. "Ah-hem" She made their presence clear.

The two lovers looked over to find a confused Jamie standing next to an angry looking Cindy crossing her arms. Nick's eyes widened. On the other hand Betty smiled back.

"Oh, hey Cindy." She greeted kindly. "And you're Jamie, right? Jimmy's cousin."

"More like Jamie, Nick's date for the night." Cindy corrected.

"What?" Betty asked genuinely confused.

Jamie still stood there stunned. Cindy took an assertive step to her defense. "Is this supposed to be some sick plan the two of you put together to humiliate the new girl?

Nick began to back away. Betty was even more perplexed. "Nick asked me out to the dance." She held up the bouquet. "He even bought me these roses. Aren't they beautiful-"

"Just like the orchids he bought for Jamie!"

Betty still didn't understand. "I'm confused. Nick asked me to the dance yesterday. I told him I couldn't make it because I had dance practice but he convinced me to come at the last hour and he'd give me the last dance."

Cindy turned to Nick, who was still tip-toeing towards the corner. Betty saw him trying to sneak off. It confused her. She looked emotionally hurt. "Nick? Did you invite both of us to the dance?"

"Hehe." Nick tried to play it cool. "Look, I knew you were upset that you couldn't go so… I thought I could make both of you girls happy by… you know, giving you both a dance with the Nickster."

"You tried to have us both at once?" Betty and Cindy turned around. Jamie had broken out of her perplexed state. Now she was mad. Oh boy, did she look mad.

Nick froze in place looking at the angry gaze of Jamie. She began to approach him. "You tried to juggle both of us at the same time and you thought you could get away with it?"

Nick innocently threw his hands up. "Oh, babe. It wasn't like that. I just-"

"You bought me flowers. You told me I look beautiful. You took me out and danced for the most amazing 3 minutes of my life. You end that with the first kiss I've ever had. And then you try to do the same with someone else behind my back!" She raised her voice.

"Now look" Nick began to explain. "You both didn't have dates and I thought you were beautiful enough to deserve a dance with me."

Jamie was shocked by Nick's justification. "We _deserved_ to get a dance with you?" She asked making sure she heard that right.

"Well… what's the big deal. I know you loved it."

She did. It was amazing. It left her with the greatest feeling she ever had. And this jerk was going to flaunt it over her face that she was fortunate to get the chance to be with him. He was going to shame her if she didn't agree that he was charitable for giving her the best time of her life.

No way. This jerk no right to mess with her head. He didn't deserve the satisfaction. She wasn't going to give it to him. Jamie curled her fingers into a fist. The arm came up and moved straight for his eye like a speeding bullet train. The impact was so big that he flew back into the lockers and fell to the ground. He immediately reached for his eye. It was swelling.

Nick stumbled a bit as he got back up. "Okay, babe we can straighten this out-"

"Don't call me babe!" Jamie asserted. "Never, ever, EVER mess with a girl's feelings. You got that!"

Nick stood there tongue tied. "Uh… yeah?"

Good enough. Jamie walked away satisfied. Betty stood there shocked with her hands over her face. Cindy was equally surprised but smiled. What she felt was proud.

"Come on." Jamie said. "Let's leave this stupid dance."

Cindy couldn't agree more. She was ready to defend her friend, beat every bone in Nick's body if necessary. Instead she watched her stand up for himself and take on that jerk. It was truly inspiring.

"Fine!" Nick shouted as they went down the hallway. "You were a lousy kisser anyway!"

Both girls didn't give him the satisfaction. Jamie walked away assertive while Cindy held her smile.

Nick walked up to Betty who was still standing there. "Come on." He grabbed her arm. "Let's have that dance."

He started pulling her down toward the auditorium. Finally breaking out of her shellshock she began to resist and broke free of Nick's grasp.

Nick looked at her surprised. "Come on, let's go."

"I'm not dancing with you." She said nearly crying but holding back her tears in favor of anger.

"We only have one hour until it's over." He grabbed her arm again. "Come on."

Betty tried to pull out again. "Get off of me." Nick tightened his grip this time as Betty struggled. "Let go." She begged nearly crying. She then threw the bouquet of flowers she was still holding on the ground. "I MEAN IT! LET GO!"

"No." Nick said trying to sound cool as he picked the flowers back up.

Nick had his legs opened up as he crouched down to get the flowers. That was her window of opportunity. Betty brought her foot up like a torpedo being fired from a submarine and kicked Nick so hard in the crotch that his feet came up from the ground. He had to let go from the pain. As he reached for his nether region Betty ran down the hallway as far away from him as he could.

Nick laid on the ground in pain. "I think she broke something."

* * *

"I cannot believe you did that!"

The girls were back at Cindy's that night. Jamie was staying the night. "I didn't think I could hit that hard. This body isn't as weak as I thought it was."

"Well, duh. Just because you're a girl doesn't mean you cannot throw a good punch."

Jamie laughs. "I know. You've always been able to fight back."

"And I would have broken every bone in his body too. But you stood up to him. I'm really proud of you, Jamie."

"Well he deserved it. I cannot believe he would mess with me and Betty like that. I don't understand why a guy would do that."

"Boys suck."

Jamie chuckles at the remark, but not in a way that seemed to agree with it. It reminded her that she wasn't one anymore. It was weird but for most of this conversation she was actually beginning to feel like a Jimmy again. This conversation was far from being girly. "I have to thank you though."

"For what?" Cindy asked curious.

Jamie took a second to think of the words. "You… you inspired me, Cindy. You've never let anyone put you down or tell you what you're supposed to do. And I've always admired you for that."

"Always?" Cindy said surprised by the word choice. "Like even as Jimmy."

"Um… well, yeah. Actually… I was always inspired by your dedication to being the best you can be, Cindy. It's the reason why I invented most of the things I did. You have always been really cool and well liked by everybody."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

Jamie thought about it. "I don't know." She confessed. "I guess maybe because I was a boy I never could. We were always arguing and that was the only way I could ever talk to you. If I didn't I would be nervous. I think that's why I'd argue with you so much. When we were nice to each other I'd always be nervous. It's really stupid because I understand how pointless it is now. Carl acting weird around me got annoying real fast."

"I told you boys are stupid."

"But it was also kind of charming. I guess I never should've hidden that because maybe we could've been friends before if I was nicer to you. I really wish I knew that but it's too late."

"Too late for what?"

"I kind of… sort of.. had a crush on you."

"Really?" Cindy replied excited but quickly changed her expression.

"I did." Jamie looked down to the ground depressed. "You know I wish I didn't say that stupid stuff about the dance. I wish didn't say those things at the temple. I don't even really think that girls are dumb like that. I just said that stuff because we were fighting like always and I had to think of something to say back… I really messed up."

Silence went by for a bit until Cindy finally spoke up. "I liked you too." Jamie looked up surprised. "Yeah it's unbelievable, right? I have for years. I remember the exact moment. When we were flying Yokus to save our parents we saw some beautiful celestial events. I remember I looked at you for a bit. I wanted to… give you credit. Tell you that what you did was amazing and I was grateful to be there. And then you looked back at me. And I couldn't think of anything to say. I just looked back and couldn't look away. But then you snapped out of it and looked at me disgusted so I tried to get Nick's attention to make you jealous… But I never forgot that moment. It's my favorite memory with you in it."

"I really miss being Jimmy. But he's gone." Jamie accepted. "I cannot really complain. There's nothing wrong with being a girl. This is nice. I've really had fun and I can still do the same things I did before. It might even be better this way. Instead of being another successful guy I can be a good role model for girls out there." She looked back at Cindy who was still sad. "I'm sorry I had to turn into a girl just to tell you the truth. But thank you for being there for me. I'm glad I have you as a friend rather than not being there at all."

"Thank you." Cindy smiled lightly but sincerely. "I'm glad you're my friend too."

* * *

Later that night the two girls were asleep. A blue light radiated through the window. It shined bright enough to penetrate through Cindy's eyelids. She opened her eyes to see the entire room shining blue. Jamie, sleeping on an air mattress, was still covered in shadow underneath the window. Cindy decided not to wake her up. She carefully, quietly got out of her bed and tiptoed over to the window to see what was going on.

Outside there was no one. The street was quiet and empty just as it should be at this time of night. Not even one house turned on yet from this blue glare that was hovering over the Vortex driveway.

Cindy rubbed her eyes, waiting for them to adjust. At the center of the glow it looked like a bird was in it. She looked more closely at it. The glow looked familiar. It then faded a bit and Cindy could tell the bird was the source of the glow based on its movement. As her eyes adjusted to the sight it seemed like the bird was staring at her. She then remembered where it was she had seen the glow before.

* * *

Cindy opened the front door. The was a Peacock, still floating in the same spot, looking straight at her. She was careful to step outside. Not one person woke up from the glare but Cindy. She proceeded with caution while she continued to stare at the Peacock.

"You have nothing to be afraid of." The peacock spoke with a soothing yet powerful voice.

"Hera?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, it is me." She replied.

Cindy got straight to the point. "Are you here to change Jimmy back?"

The peacock was silent for a few seconds. "Is that what you would like me to do?"

Cindy was confused by her intentions. "I don't… Am I dreaming?"

Hera laughed. "No, I am truly present."

"Then why are you here?"

"You haven't answered my question."

Cindy remained confused. "Are you asking me to make that choice?"

"I have already settled on the boy's fate. I just want to know what you think he should be." Cindy doesn't answer right away which upsets the Goddess. "Speak soon. It isn't every day a mortal is in the presence of a Goddess."

"Why do you want me to tell you?"

"Goodness, you certainly do ask a lot of questions." Hera responded sounding less Gody and more annoyed.

"Well it isn't everyday I get to talk to a Goddess." Cindy fired back. "So…"

"Fine then." Hera settled. "I have been watching you both for the last three days. I see that he has adjusted quite well into his new role, as well developing his friendship with you. But he has also learned how to stand up for women as himself and you're both right, as a woman he can be very influential one day. He would lead a great life."

"Yes he would." Cindy agreed unfavorably.

"But that isn't what you wanted to hear, was it?" Cindy looked down to the ground and sighed. "You would want him to change back because you like him."

Cindy nodded. "I do." She wheezed out just loud enough for the Goddess to hear.

"Well it is fortunate that you are not making the decision. Choices based strictly on love are important, but they may not be the right decision to help change the world."

Her head slumped down even lower. She was able to accept Jamie into the world, no problem. They had managed to simultaneously accept this. But hearing it directly from Hera made it seem like the final blow was delivered.

"As a woman he would grow to be an important figure, not just in his field but for women all over. There will come a day in your future when people will demand for greater equality and opportunity. They will need great women to improve the world for them."

"I understand." Cindy responded, almost in tears.

"They will need women like you, Cynthia Vortex." Cindy immediately looked up. "And the world will especially need good men like James to set the example for everyone else."

"What?"

Hera chuckles. "He would make a great woman. But he would become a symbol I would be more than proud of. But so will you. I knew when he said all those things in my domain he was not serious. I just decided to have a little fun and change his world for a bit. It couldn't hurt anything." The Goddess laughs. "But he did get to understand your world better. It wasn't just the good things, but more importantly it was how the world treated him. He was always a good boy, but now I'm positive he would most certainly never dream of toying with a girl's emotions." Cindy laughs. "The world needs good men just as much as it needs good women. It needs men that will be like Jimmy Neutron who are looking to women as equals, not prizes or objects. He always looked at you as an equal even though he was afraid to admit it."

Cindy was still comprehending everything the Goddess said but she began to smile as she let the words sink. "What makes you think he won't change? How do you know he won't turn against me?"

Cindy didn't know whether or not a Peacock could smile, but the she took the subtle beak movement as that. "He always respected you before. I believe changing him only made him appreciate what you and all other girls will go through. Even though he probably will never speak about this experience publicly I promise you, you will see in subtle ways that he will never forget it."

"Are you sure?"

"Indeed I am. And I know that you two will have a great future together."

Hera closed her wings together, opening them back up to create an orb. It spins and grows, blue surges of power sparking inside of it.

"WAIT!" Cindy called out. The Peacock closed the orb until it disappeared. "Jimmy tried to change himself back but he said he couldn't because of your magic. How is he supposed to continue his science? He sounded like he gave up on it when he told me."

"Ooh child." Hera laughed. "We call it magic. You call it science. All of it comes from the same place. We just have a better understanding of how to use it than you do."

Hera opened the orb back up. Cindy watched it grow. "One day humans will catch up with us and our worlds could be bridged together. He might even be the one to discover how to do it when you mortals are ready."

The orb stopped growing when it was the size of a basketball. Hera let it go as it slowly rose above them and stopped in front of Cindy's window. "Tell him that when he wakes up. He's going to need to help him readjust to being a boy again."

The electric charge of the orb became even more frenetic. It was sucking up power from the streetlights, telephone wires, even the cars parked outside. It was incredible that no one outside heard this. The static electrical sounds stopped and the orb shot inside through Cindy's window. A flash of blue came from the room and that was it.

Cindy turned around to see the Peacock had disappeared. She looked around the street. Everything appeared normal. She looked up to her room. No damage was done to the window. From the outside everything seemed okay. The full realization of what happened hit her. She smiled. She knew that her life was going to be different. The lives would be different after this experience. They had admitted the truth to one another. There was no doubt this was going to be a happy ending for her.

Cindy ran back inside, ready to wake him up and bring him back into the world.

 **The End**


End file.
